Power Rangers: Mythos
by Stormasius
Summary: When an ancient evil predating humanity is awakened, five humans who find five pendants seemingly by chance must take up the mantle of ranger. Using the power of legends, they are Power Rangers Mythos
1. Mythos Ignite: part 1

Mythos Ignite: Part 1

Long ago, at the dawn of man, An ancient structure connected this world to all others. It was dubbed 'The Nexus Point' by the interstellar beings that had once used it. Life between the six worlds that had lived in harmony was greatly influenced by the gateway and the races lived without weapons or violence. Before man came to be, a seventh, forgotten world had finally awoken their gateway and entered into the nexus point. A savage and brutal race carrying crude weapons emerged, armour as black as onyx, faces without remorse. They began cutting down all who stood in their path and left no survivors.

When all hope seemed lost, ancient guardians emerged from the portals of their worlds and sealed them shut. They engaged the monsters in battle cutting them down with ease. After a somewhat lengthy battle, the monsters retreated through their gateway. The battle was almost won, but then, he emerged. The great darkness, the eternal shadow. He had many names, In our language he was know as Shadai. thus began a battle between the ancient guardians and Shadai. they battled for what seemed like eternity, taking it to the highest peak of the largest mountain of our world, know then as the ladder of the gods. The battle was tough and they were overwhelmed by him. In a last attempt to defeat this ever growing darkness, the guardians used their power to sacrifice themselves to seal him away inside the mountain.

After this, the ancient amulets which gave them power burrowed into the mountain and it shattered into seven smaller mountains, the cataclysmic force of this blew the world apart and left it to begin anew. The artifacts that powered the portals scattered to the ends of the earth and were lost never to be seen again, as with the amulets still buried within those mountains…

Emerging from a book came the face of a young man. He had an athletic build and was wearing blue overalls. "Percy!" a voice called from above. The man with the book responded, he put the book down and he got up out of an armchair and made his way to the deck of the expedition boat he was on. "Yeah Max?" Percy replied as he reached the deck. "Dad's ready for you to go down there. Have fun." Max told him with a giddy expression on his face. "Well, it's now or never, see you soon brother." percy responded as he removed his overalls to reveal a wet suit. striding over and equipping his diving gear he saw the crew getting the cables ready. 'let's make history' he thought to himself as he finished getting ready. getting locked into the cables he took one last look at the surface before taking the dive…

Deeper and deeper he went, then his comm turned on. "Well son, everything looks fine on our end, you?" in reply percy told him "Yeah, I think there's some ruins deeper down, I'm gonna look at them." before the communication cut off his dad told him to be safe. he got closer to the ruins of an underwater city on top of an underwater mountain. The pressure was mounting. All of a sudden the lines tore his breathing gear from him then went back to the surface and he was knocked into the depths of the water where darkness enveloped him. He felt only the darkness, until a blue light emerged and a trident shaped amulet rested in his hand. He soon could breathe again somehow and began to swim to the surface.

"sorry boss, It's been a few hours now we have to call it." one of the workers said. "No! My boy is still out there I can feel-" he was cut off from an emergence from the water. "Percy!" he exclaimed in excitement. The crew helped him up. When they asked what happened he said he couldn't remember, hiding the amulet in his sleeve…

[Elsewhere]

An archeologist by the name of Professor Redhall had gone on a lone expedition to the world's most central mountain. He had dug into a cavern with ancient and crude markings. Professor Redhall co-authored the book about the ancient gateway and he was on the search for proof. finally reaching the central room, there was a seal with much more graceful markings upon it. touching it, the seal lit up with red energy. The Professor fell back as it opened up. When it had unlocked, a being of pure shadow emerged and headed for the professor. Although his screams could be heard for miles, no one came to his rescue…

[6 weeks later in the town of Castelan]

'Another year of School, oh great' a young man by the name of Tyson Stone thought to himself as he headed in. he headed to his friends, each one talking about the same thing and holding some sort of amulet. "so, everyone's summer good?" Tyson asked as he addressed the group. "see for yourself, we all found an amulet on our travels." a slim guy said. "Ben, you guys did too? wow, I got one with a hammer" Tyson replied to his friend known as ben. "I found mine diving, almost drowned, then when it was In my hand, I could breathe normally, weird huh." Percy said as he showed his trident amulet. the group nodded in agreement. "So, Lexa, Emlie, how'd you get yours?" Percy asked. Before they could say anything, the bell went and they had to go. "maybe later!" Emlie replied before everyone left. As the day came to it's last class, the five met for it. "History, oh god, not again." Lexa, a short and girly young woman, said with such dread. "come on guys, at least we're all in this class" Ben reassured. Tyson replied by giving him a high five before they all walked into the class…

"Welcome Class, I'm Doctor Ethan Blake, you'll address me as Doctor Blake. Today, we will be going into our term topic: Mythology. Whilst most of it isn't proven history, the school has insisted on you learning it in light of the book co-authored by my former colleague Professor Redhall (who completely stole all of my research into it and didn't even bother to finish it before he and his rich business partner published the research, all that time and effort for nothing, such a waste)..." Doctor Blake stopped as he went into his thoughts. "umm...Doctor Blake?" Ben said, attempting to establish contact with the distant teacher. "oh, um, sorry, seems I was caught up in the moment. Now open your books up. As you can see here these are ruins that led to the theory of mythology being real, for the most part. It is also said that these amulets were worn by the guardians of each world. The hammer, the trident, the axe, the bow and finally the spear." the lesson began. eventually it came to an end. and the bell rang.

after gathering their things, the five teens went to the teacher. "So, doctor blake, about the amulets. well…" Emlie said and then they cut off as each of them revealed their amulet. "Where did you get these?" he asked, almost interrogatively. "we found them in the summer, scattered all around the world, and by chance they chose us five and they're all here." Emlie informed him. "then come with me, there's someone that needs to see this...


	2. Mythos Ignite: part 2

Mythos Ignite: Part 2

After a twenty minute walk through the forest adjacent to the school, the five teens arrived at what looked like a fusion between a great carved building and a hi-tech building from a sci-fi film. Entering through an archway they were led through an elaborately decorated hall with paintings from great mythic tales and artefacts from dig sites. Ben was looking around all of this and almost got lost in the fine decor before he caught up with the others. Doctor Blake led them through a corridor into a dark room, walls intricately carved with symbols telling some sort of story. in the centre of the room, there was an elderly man, staring into a small font. "Elder, I have brought…" Doctor Blake cut off. "I know who you have brought. Now, young ones, show me the amulets." Each in turn showed their amulet to the old man before placing them back around their necks. "You have been chosen by the ancient amulets. You will be the new guardians of this world and all others." The wise man announced. "What do you mean guardians?" Emlie inquired. Doctor Blake stepped in. "Has anyone here read the book 'mythic times'?" the doctor paused waiting for a response. Percy raised his hand. "I have, what about it?" he asked. "It's all real, everything in it, and now, we think he's returned." he finished. "Who are you talking about?" Lexa asked, not paying much attention to what was going on around her. "Shadai, the ultimate evil" The elderly man replied. almost seeming distant. Doctor Blake heard a voice coming from down the hall. "Alright, thank you for your time Elder. Okay everyone, I have something to show you." with that, the teens followed him out of the dark room…

[Back at the ancient tomb]

"I AM FREE!" A dark and corrupted voice shouted whilst raising his arms triumphantly. "I am Lord Shadai, I command this tomb to unseal, all of my followers will be free!" he ordered. there was no response. Outraged, he sent bolts of dark energy at 3 adjoining chambers, each with another seal. "Rise my warriors!" he commanded as a shadow emerged from two of the seals, followed by multiple from the third seal. eventually materialising came the forms of savage warriors in dark armour with crude weapons. Materialising next was the form of a larger, stronger version of the minions known as shades. It wore dark armour with a crimson trim, It's helmet was carved with savage markings. The final form to materialise was that of what seemed to be an old man. Donning a black, hooded, robe with a long scythe holding him up. "Exodius, Reaper! Now is the time for domination, we shall open up the gateways once more and lay waste to the worlds that lie beyond them. This time we shall not fail, this time there are no guardians around to stop us!" the three began to laugh maniacally as they prepared for their return…

[back in the forest building]

Doctor Blake led the teens to the more hi-tech part, which looked more like a command center. leading them into the control room, ben's jaw dropped in awe. A circular command station, monitors overhead and several control units overhead. A young man in his twenties with short, spiky, red hair approached the group whilst carrying a tablet. "ah, doc you're finally back, and I see you brought some people." "Yes I did, now jamie, be a good intern and fetch the morphers." Doctor Blake said softly. Jamie gave a nod before heading to a side room that looked like a research lab. After a few minutes, jamie returned with 5 morphers. "These are your morphers, I've taken to calling them totem morphers as they channel the spirit energies of the amulets each of you possess." Doctor Blake announced as each morpher was handed to a teen by Jamie. "Thanks for this doc, but what exactly are we supposed to do, the day's pretty much over and I don't think this Shadai has done anything today. We need to get home." Emlie said. She was right, there wasn't going to be any threat tonight. Doctor Blake sent them off after they made their way out of the forest and they all went home…

[Inside the tomb, now referred to as Shadai's fortress]

Shadai, who was possessing Professor Redhall's body, donned his robes and headed for his throne. Sitting down on it he called for the old man known as reaper. "Reaper, I have summoned you here so that you can find me a monster, we shall release him onto the world tomorrow, when we have regained our strength. Then we shall see what has become of this world." Shadai commanded. Reaper obeyed and bowed before leaving to search for a monster for his master…

[At Emlie's home]

The sound of an alarm caused Emlie to jump because of the unusually high volume. believe it or not, this was a typical joke pulled by her father. Emlie groaned before getting out of bed and pulled her blonde hair out of her eyes. getting ready, she headed downstairs. after her usual breakfast routine, she got her white jacket, picked up her bag and left the house. finally she got to the bus where Lexa was waiting for her. "Lexa! Didn't think you cared enough about school to get up this early." Emlie toyed as she gave her a hug. "nah, more shouting at home, might as well wait here for someone who knows how to have fun." Lexa gave a smile as they were waiting. "I was talking with Tyson last night and he and the others wanna meet up at the dragon juice bar to discuss the you know whats. You in" Lexa asked politely. Emlie responded "Of course I'm in, after school?" Lexa nodded. The bus came up and they both got on, Tyson and Percy were playing rock, paper scissors, likely for something unimportant like a sandwich, whilst ben was drawing a detailed recreation of his totem morpher and amulet on a notepad. Heading to school, they got through the day without incident. Heading to the dragon juice bar, they were stopped by Lexa's phone ringing. "Heya, oh, Doc, okay I'll put it on speaker." Lexa put her phone on speaker and Doctor Blake's voice came from it. "Okay rangers, well soon to be rangers but you get the point, There's something bad going on in the park. Find an alley and use your morphers, just hold it out and say the morphing phrase I gave you yesterday." They all nodded and then ben said okay because it was only logical. They ran into the nearest alleyway, held up their morphers and chanted in unison "Mythos Ignite!"...

[At the park]

People were running in terror as a humanoid warthog that blew fire out of it's nostrils attacked innocent bystanders. "Stop right there hog roast!" came the voice of Emlie from behind the beast. "How dare you! I command to tell me who you are before I barbeque you too!" the beast commanded before giving off a high pitched squeal. The five of them stood in front of him. "Power of Atlantis, Mythos Blue!" Percy announced. "Power of Asgard, Mythos Yellow!" Tyson shouted out. "Power of Astral, Mythos Black!" Ben called to the monster. "Power of Babylon, Mythos Pink!" Lexa shouted. "Power of Elysium, Mythos white!" the beast looked shocked. but then it realised something. no red "Ha Ha Ha, You're pathetic, you may have the powers of the guardians, but you're nothing without a leader." the beast said humorously. "That's where you're wrong, Alright guys follow my lead!" Emlie commanded to the other rangers. "Shades, Arise!" the hog ordered whilst letting out another squeal. the savage warriors rose from a cloud of smoke. Each ranger's visor was the shape of the amulet they had. Their suits consisted of an cuirass style chest whilst having a short cloak from their belt to the back of their thighs the gloves were white with a gold trim to them, each one had the symbol from the amulet printed on them, the boots we're made in a similar fashion. Percy let off a kick, then headbutted one of them with his helmet. Tyson used his brute strength to throw one to the floor whilst ben ducked and one shade hit another in the back of the head before falling onto it. Emlie boosted Lexa up, where she landed on one of the shades and used it as a pedestal whilst kicking three others around it before it gave in and fell to the ground like the rest. Finally, Emlie gave a back kick to the one remaining shade that was running up behind her, it toppled to the ground and with that the shades transformed back into smoke and disappeared. "Damn it! Now I'm gonna fry you rangers!" the hog said. it braced itself then snorted out a blast of fire. It hit the rangers and they fell to the floor. "Now you're mine weaklings!" he exclaimed as he charged up another blast. the rangers were struggling to get up, they were on the floor, there wasn't much chance of them making their way through this. "Doctor Blake here. I'm speaking to you through your comms, you need to get up now, pull your morphers out and shout 'mythic blade' good luck." The comm turned off. They struggled but they stood up, pulling out their totem morphers they shouted in unison. "Mythic Blade!" on the front of the morpher was the same symbol as their amulet. It began to light up until a wave of coloured energy came from each, the hog fired his blast at them. It caused an explosion, when the smoke cleared, they were still standing, carrying 5 swords, each with a water drop shaped gem in the centre of the hilt. "Let's get the bacon." Tyson said, they all nodded in agreement, pointed their swords towards the beast and ran at it. each in turn has taken a slash at the beats and each time the pig had squealed. It was now worn out and surrounded. "Let's finish this together! Mythos strike!" they raised their swords and the blades began to glow with golden energy. striking in unison they turned away as the hog exploded. "I love the smell of bacon in the afternoon." Percy commented. The others laughed as they gave each other high fives.

[Later, at the dragon juice bar]

The new rangers were enjoying the rest of the day when all of a sudden a news announcement came on "Hey George, mind turning the sound on the tv?" Percy asked the owner named George. "Sure thing Perc!" he replied, happy to oblige. "Good evening Castelan, I'm Janine Lane and this is News on five" the anchor announced. "Hey it's your mom" Ben said to Emlie. She just sat there and sunk her head into her jacket on the table. "Our breaking story it. Power Rangers. Recent reports say that a new team of the legendary heroes has finally emerged. An eyewitness to the battle said that they have dubbed themselves mythos. Lets hope these rookies beat the bad guys. That's all for now, I'm Janine Lane, This is News on five, have a good evening." the broadcast finished. "that was certainly something" Lexa said to try break the awkward silence. "Looks like we're power rangers now then." Ben said. "looks like it." Percy confirmed. The new rangers began talking about all the crazy stuff they were used to talking about and laughed on into the night…

[In Shadai's fortress]

Shadai let out an angry roar. "Reaper! Find me a new monster! These power rangers have taken the power of the guardians. nothing must stop us from taking our birthright!" Commander Exodius interrupted. "My lord, allow me to find a monster for the job, sometimes it is better to think tactical than to send a wild beast out there." Shadai nodded and sent them both away. 'I will claim everything, I shall have dominion' he thought to himself as he sat down on his throne…

[end of chapter]

Well this was my first chapter of mythos and I guess there could be some explaining to do, I've broken the unwritten rule of having a red ranger, but It's for the development of the story. "no red" referred to the sixth amulet and leader, you'll find out about it when it's time. Until that point, the white ranger, Emlie, is the leader of the Mythos rangers.

Next chapter: Lexa - Wild Child


	3. Chapter 2: Lexa - Wild Child

Ch2: Lexa - Wild Child

The sun rose over the town of Castelan. As it emerged from the horizon, light began to shine through the windows of the residential district. Lexa was buried deep within her covers, the only sign of her being in her bed was her hand that slumped out from the edge of her bed. The door of her room slowly creaked open as a white cat made its way into the room. Stopping at her hand, the cat licked it before giving a meow. There was no response from Lexa. After trying it once more, the cat got impatient. It stretched out its paw to reveal its claw, and then it struck her down the hand in an attempt to wake her up. With that she gave a yelp and burst from the covers. The cat climbed onto the bed and onto her lap, giving her the look of innocence. "Wiggy...leave...now…" Lexa said sounding frustrated. Giving the cat named wiggy a nudge, it jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room.

After spending who knows how long getting ready, Lexa emerged from her room wearing a pink tank top and skinny jeans. When she reached the kitchen she had to suffer a lecture on how she's dressed. Eventually when everything was ready and she had some breakfast, she left the house. After the door was closed she mouthed everything in reply to her parents lecture, getting really mad before running off.

Reaching the bus stop, she couldn't see Emlie anywhere. After a brief session of texting, she found out she was getting a ride to school. Waiting at the bus stop she got really bored, and the minutes seemed to drag, finally the bus came and she was on. Looking around the bus she only found Percy, drawing doodles on his books again. "Perc, how's the ice cream going?" she asked sitting down next to him. he hesitated and hid the book, acting like a child. "So, where are Tyson and Ben then?" asking him politely. "Ben got a new game, Tyson is playing that game with him and they've been playing it since last night." Percy replied whilst rubbing his eyes. A few minutes later he was asking about the claw marks on her hand. "Wiggy did it" Lexa replied sounding frustrated. Percy inched away from her whilst looking out of the window, afraid of her snapping.

Arriving at school, the first two lessons, maths and english, came and went and Lexa was bored. Next came gym class, the one class she cared about, until recently anyway. Tying her laces, she was ready to start. Gymnastics was her strong suit and she'd been waiting for it all week. Emlie went first doing a front flip and finishing off with a cartwheel. Lexa got her turn, She did a handstand, went into a somersault and finished with a backflip. After class the two were approached and were offered the chance to be cheerleaders. After they agreed to try out for the team, they gave eachother a high five. Dinner came and the three rangers at school were sitting at the table. Emlie and Lexa talked about the offer whilst Percy was reading a text. "Girls, stop gossiping for a second, Ben and Tyson are on their way to school. Tyson broke the game and he owes Ben a new one." The two rangers laughed at the message given. After lunch was history. Taking their seats Doctor Blake started calling out names. Lexa was dazed and off in her own world, looking at the football players training out on the field. eventually he called out her name. "Lexa, Lexa Eve? Has anyone seen Lexa?" Emlie turned and nudged her friend. Not getting a response she had a look at what had got her so hypnotised. "Lexa stop looking out of the window at the jocks, you know it won't get you anywhere." Doctor Blake finally said having his own look at the window. finally snapping out of it, she realised what had happened, looking confused, she asked Emlie what happened. All she got was a cheeky grin.

After school Lexa headed towards the field that the window was pointed at. She knew it wasn't her fault that she was unresponsive and she wanted to find out why. The others were likely laughing at Tyson by now. reaching the field, she saw a tree close by. A sense came over her that there was something wrong over there. Finally reaching it, she walked behind it to see that there was nothing there. Shrugging it off she began to walk back, that was until she felt something grab hold of her. Turning around, she saw the hypnotic appearance of a godlike man, chisled features, muscles bursting from his clothes. Overwhelmed, she collapsed to the floor. The man began to morph into a dark and gargoyle like creature. "That's it little ranger, soon your friends will join you, and then nobody will stop my master!" The creature let off an evil laugh before departing.

Lexa awoke to the sight of a party, Everyone was having fun and drinking. in reply to the randomness of what was happening she yelled at the top of her lungs "wooh!" before taking out her hair clip and letting her long chestnut hair flow and then running off to join in with the fun.

[In Shadai's fortress]

"Great work Exodius!" Shadai expressed with sadistic happiness. "Your monster has removed a ranger from play and will soon destroy the rest, then we shall have control over these pitiful worlds!" finishing his small speech he sat down on his throne as the commander bowed and left. Reaper was waiting for him at the entrance to the throne room. "Your victory won't last for long. History will repeat itself, when it does I'll be here to offer my liege my services once more." Reaper whispered. In response the commander laughed as he found it humorous before leaving to organise more shades to fight the rangers.

[At ranger HQ]

Jamie and Doctor Blake came into the command center carrying an unconscious Lexa. Carrying her to a small room with a bed, they laid her down gently before going over to an analysis machine. "You see that?" Doctor Blake asks rhetorically. "Looks like her life force is fading." he continued. A few minutes later, the four rangers arrived, worried about Lexa. after explaining the situation, Ben realized that there was a correlation between the events that happened and the subject they were talking about in class. Pulling out a book he began explaining what he meant. "Sirens, Succubus, Incubus. Each one of these mythical creatures is said to lure in its prey with beauty or a hypnotic song. I'm guessing that this is what caused it. If we don't stop it soon, Lexa won't make it." After finishing the others agreed. Doctor Blake agreed too. Luckily for them, they didn't have to look far. The command center's locator had picked up monster activity in the town square. In unison, the four rangers shouted "Mythos Ignite!" and morphed in front of Doctor blake and Jamie before heading to Tyson's Jeep parked outside. Back in the command center there was a tremendous amount of brain activity being displayed on the monitors in the room with Lexa.

[Back at the 'party' Lexa was at]

She was having the time of her life and getting wild. All of a sudden, a voice called to her from out of nowhere. "Lexa, look around you, this isn't real. It is a figment of your imagination wake up." the voice said, sounding distant. "How do I wake up? Please help me!" Lexa pleaded. "Find your true self, embrace your wild side, become one with the beast." It called again. Finally it stopped. Looking around her, she saw the party goers transform into shades before her eyes. They stood up and faced her, ready to attack. She tried reaching for her totem morpher but it was not there. She was all alone and had to face the darkness by herself.

[At the town square]

The jeep pulled to a stop to see shades attacking innocent civilians along with the gargoyle like creature. The rangers stood to face the monsters. "Looks like someone fell off the wrong side of the church straight into ugly ville." Tyson shouted, taunting the monster. "You won't be laughing soon rangers. You'll get what's coming to you, just like your little friend did. Shades attack!" the monster ordered, raising an arm towards them. "Mythic Blades!" they shouted in unison. Emlie led the charge against the shades. Tyson tackled two to the floor and made his way towards the monster. Emlie dispatched one with her sword and went on to kick one in the head whilst stamping on its foot to knock it over. four Shades had formed a circle around Percy and ben who were stood back to back. Percy struck one with his sword, as it fell he flipped over it and double kicked a second shade. Ben charged at the remaining two. sweeping one with his sword and stabbing it before knocking another out by hitting it in the face with the hilt of his blade. Tyson charged at the monster giving out a scream. It began to transform into what appeared to be a beautiful women. Tyson stopped in his tracks as he saw this, he froze up and couldn't move. The 'woman' threw a purple bolt of energy at him which sent him backwards, hitting the ground.

[Back in Lexa's imagination]

Lexa was hitting the shades let right and center with everything she had, but it was not enough, she was overwhelmed by the sheer number of shades that were attacking. Thinking back to the words of advice. She finally understood. With the grace of a feline, she jumped about the shades, wearing them down, taking quick strikes before performing a flip and repeating the process. Eventually the remaining shades fell from exhaustion. Left alone in the dark as the shades dispersed, eventually a pink light came to her. "Well done Lexa. You have proven that you are worthy to wear my amulet, now wake up and use your newfound strength to defeat that creature." The voice said, emanating from the light.

[Back at the town square]

The four rangers were on the floor, Injured by the monster, now in its true form again. It rose it's arms up and generated a purple sphere of energy in each. "Say goodbye rangers, it's time for me to feed on you," the creature began to laugh at the pain it was about to cause. a streak of pink energy came across and hit the monster. When it stopped, Lexa was left in its place. "Hey, you! You're so ugly that you made yourself turn to stone!" Lexa shouted, preparing to strike. Her blade in hand, she drew upon the energy of her amulet. Time appeared to slow down as she connected to her animal side. She ran at the beast, blade pointing at it and struck, giving off an energy burst. After she struck, she turned to her friends, who were getting back up, and they began to congratulate her. Behind her, the monster exploded, leaving broken pieces of stone lying around the courtyard.

[At Shadai's fortress]

Shadai had grabbed Commander Exodius by the neck. "You failed! both of you failed!" Shadai exclaimed in his rageful outburst. "My lord. Perhaps a second chance is in order, give us time and we shall come up with a plan. Both of us working together must surely be better." Reaper said whilst on his knees, pleading. Shadai let go of Exodius' throat and ordered them to leave.

Turning to sit on his throne he was interrupted by commotion at his doors, a shade had been knocked over by an unknown warrior. "Explain yourself at once warrior!" Shadai demanded. The warrior appeared to wear knight armour, black like volcanic rock, a visor shaped like a cross, as red as dragon's blood. His weapon was a crude mockery of a knight's sword, with the blade being like a cleaver. "I have waited for you to return lord. Since my awakening over one thousand years ago. I am the shadow crusader, I am yours to command." the shadow crusader knelt before Shadai, bowing to him as a crude smile came across his face…

[end chapter]

 **And that's chapter two done, the next one will go in depth on another character a bit similar to this did. One thing to make you think about till the next chapter, more like next few, is: Who is the new bad guy known as The Shadow Crusader, what are his motives, and what are his origins.**

 **Next chapter: Tyson - I am brute**


	4. Chapter 3: Tyson - I am Brute

Ch3: Tyson - I am Brute

It was a boring wednesday afternoon and the rangers were out doing their own separate things. Tyson was down at the local gym training for the wrestling tournament on friday. He was doing reps on the weight bench with his trainer Eric helping him out. "Just a few more Tyson, you're almost there!" Eric exclaimed to encourage Tyson to keep going. He was starting to get out of breath at this point. "3...2...1...great, you did it! get a breather now before we begin the next exercise." Eric told an exhausted Tyson as he took a sip from a sports drink that was next to the bench. After a few minutes, Eric had him up on the treadmill. Sweat began to drench his plain yellow t-shirt. Two minutes into the exercise, Tyson began to feel light headed. Everything began to blur, and before collapsing, everything seemed to turn white. He remained collapsed on the floor by the treadmill…

[At shadai's fortress]

Commander Exodius and Reaper were laughing at Tyson's misfortune. "This gives me an idea, if that ranger gets exhausted under pressure like that then he would be destroyed by a titan." Exodius said whilst still laughing at the event. "You have a point. Whilst we arent strong enough to send a titan in full force to utterly destroy the rangers with it's size and strength, we can still send a powerful titan to destroy them whilst it is the size of these mortals." Reaper said in reply. The doors to Shadai's throne room opened and the two entered to give their plan to their master…

[Tyson's house, the morning after]

Daylight shone through the windows and directly onto Tyson's face. he moaned as it shone on his eyes and he was forced to get up. He put on a yellow vest and grey chinos. Ambling his way to the bathroom to avoid pulling his muscles, he slicked back his hair like a 50's biker, and checked in the mirror to make sure nothing was broken. After getting down the stairs, he made himself a protein shake. He headed over to the bus stop an hour later. There stood a menacing presence. A seven foot man with short white hair, scruffy beard and a dark expression on his face. He wore a red vest with torn sleeves and knee high shorts which too were torn at the ends. Tyson, being curious, began to chat with the man. "Hey there, never seen you before where you going?" Tyson asked with a hint of fear in his voice. The man replied with a booming voice. "I am going to the gym to sign up for the wrestling tournament so that I can crush all the puny mortals and have victory!" Tyson began to back away as the man finished his sentence. Shortly after this, the bus came and he was on his way to school.

[at school, lunch time]

The five rangers sat down at their usual table, Tyson winced a little bit of pain as he sat down. "You okay Tyson?" Percy asked as he saw his friend in pain. "Yeah, just pushed a bit too far in training yesterday. Speaking of that, you all coming to the gym on friday to watch the wrestling tournament?" he said, getting into a comfier position. they each gave a nod to Tyson to confirm their presence. After a brief moment of silence, a fight kicked off as the school joker began running from a squad of angry football players that had water all over them. The charge soon turned into a mob as numerous other students followed to the inevitable fight. "looks like lunch time is over, time to go." ben said as they departed, going the opposite direction to where the mob went.

Tyson had a free period on thursday where he went into the weights room with a couple other students to lift weights. getting some weights and lifting them proved quite a challenge for Tyson because of his still strained muscles. Eventually, this caused his arms to give in and he dropped the weights onto the cold floor. "sorry guys, overworked yesterday and now I can't lift much till it's all back to normal." Tyson said looking at them a little sad. "don't worry Tyson, hope it's better by tomorrow, I'd hate not being able to fight you in the tournament." one of the students said. "Thanks, I look forward to taking you on." After saying that, he packed up his equipment and headed off. He was about to get on the bus back home when the others walked up to him, they were about to say something when they got a text. It said for them to go to the gym where tyson trained to stop an attack by one of Shadai's minions.

[at the gym]

The man Tyson saw at the bus stop was laughing as the shades were terrorising the people inside of the gym. The five stood side by side as they shouted the morphing phrase. "Mythos Ignite!" They transformed into the mythos rangers and summoned their mythic blades. the five rangers ran to fight the shades. Ben and Lexa trapped some of them before landing strikes and dispatching them, Percy kicked one back and gave a quick strike to it before flipping his blade around and striking one coming up behind him. Tyson found a lone shade that had cornered a scrawny man, he charged into it which caused it to fall down, followed by tyson who landed on top of the shade and crushed it. Emlie dispatched a few more shades before they all disappeared. They faced up to the behemoth of a man who now had a serious expression on his face. "You shall not defeat me!" his booming voice came. "I am the lord of the titans! I am Kronos! I shall destroy you all!" Kronos finished his short speech before his body began to morph, he became bigger and transformed into a grotesque creature made of a dark stone. The rangers charged at him with their swords in hand. each strike from their weapons hit, yet it did no damage, it's armour was too thick. In retaliation, the monster let out a blast of stone that hit the rangers and took them down. Lexa got up and began to use her amulet's hidden power. The other rangers got up to see her power it up. She bolted at Kronos with her sword and prepared to strike. Kronos caught her by the neck and threw her across the room. Percy, Ben and Emlie proceeded to attack the monster to get it's attention away from her, but it just struck them and knocked them to the floor too. Tyson was struggling to get back to the fight. The other rangers had no energy left and demorphed. Tyson dropped to his knees as Kronos approached. "Puny little ranger, you are no match for the mighty lord Kronos! It is futile to destroy someone as weak as you. Till the next time little ranger!" Kronos struck Tyson before laughing maniacally and disappearing…

[at the command center]

"Tyson, what happened?" Doctor Blake said as they laid the other four rangers on beds so they could recover. "He called himself Kronos, he's stronger and faster than any of us. We can't beat him, I can't beat him." Tyson looked down for a second. "Go to see the elder in the temple room of the command center, he will help you Tyson." Doctor blake said, trying to sound comforting. Tyson agreed and began walking to the room with the old man. he opened the door and entered.

"Sit, young Tyson. I know your troubles, allow me to tell you a story of the titans." After the elder finished, Tyson nodder and sat beside him. "Long ago, the titans roamed the earth. The battle between the dark lord and the guardians lasted much longer than it was thought in the book. There was a race of titans that would have destroyed the guardians if not for the guardian of Asgard. Whilst armies fought, he challenged Kronos to a one on one fight, whichever submitted first would have the ability to seal away the other. The prize was increased as the day of the battle came. Whichever won would have the ability to seal away the loser's people. The battle was long and hard. The guardian summoned unnatural strength from his amulet that no mortal could naturally possess. In doing this he had gained the advantage and crushed the titan and forced him to submit. It was then that the titans were sealed away and the tide of their war was turned in their favour. To defeat Kronos, you and only you must unlock the amulet's power. When next you meet him, challenge him to this deul. good luck." The elder finished. "Thanks for the history lesson but… how do I unlock my amulet's power?" Tyson asked looking a little puzzled. "I would suggest you start as he did. train hard." the elder said. Tyson gave a gesture of thanks as he departed. The elder went back to meditating as the door closed…

[at Tyson's house]

Tyson ran upstairs as soon as he got home, there was no stopping to do anything as he only had one thing on his mind. Train. He got into his room, dropped his bag and locked the door. After getting his sparring gloves on, he began to perform a sequence of kicks and punches to various parts of the body, constantly alternating between sections on the practice dummy. After a couple of hours and several fitness exercises, it started to get dark. He had just finished on his punching bag and he was exhausted. A voice came from behind him. "Don't give up now, you're almost there, prove that you are stronger than them all. Push past the pain and the exhaustion, don't let it beat you." The voice of the guardian of Asgard said. Before Tyson could finish taking his gloves off, he began to put them back on and ready himself to keep going. He worked on into the night, always hitting the bag and never giving up, all of his concentration was focused on hitting it. Hours flew past until the light of the morning came. His amulet lit up with a soft yellow glow, and with one final punch, Tyson split the bag in two and he broke his concentration to marvel at the new power he had. He was now ready.

[at the gym]

It was time for the tournament and Tyson had a concentrated look for him, never breaking it, only clapping for the other contestants. Finally it was his turn. "Will Tyson Stone and Raymond Jones make their way into the arena." Tyson went easy on his opponent, but still, it was like fighting an enraged bull. Eventually Tyson flipped him over his shoulders and slammed him into the the floor. His opponent submitted and he was declared the victor for his round 1 fight. Two more rounds passed and it was the semi finals. The first fight finished quickly and one of Tyson's friends from the weight room was in the final. "For our last semi final match, will Tyson stone and Bones make their way into the arena." With all the excitement of this new strength, even if he wasn't using it to it's full potential, he sucker-punched his opponent in the face and knocked him to the floor. In quick succession, he pinned and defeated his opponent. "Ouch, you're a brute tyson, you know that" Bones said as he left the arena.

The final match was about to begin. Tyson looked at his friend opposite him and was prepared to defeat him. Their fight began. Both of them clashed with each other, Tyson sweeped his opponent's legs from underneath him and gave him a couple of punches as he fell. In retaliation, his friend jumped back up and started to repeatedly hit him in the stomach. To stop the barrage, Tyson span around and struck him with a back kick straight to the head. landing back to face his opponent, Tyson struck him in the solar plexus, sealing the fate of the fight as his opponent dropped to his knees. Tyson pinned him and finished the fight. He helped him get back to his feet and sat him down before returning to retrieve his prize.

Before he could gain his prize, Kronos burst through the door and shot stone bolts at the trophy. "I have come to claim my prize!" his voice boomed. "This is between you and me Kronos, I challenge you to a duel!" Tyson shouted at the beastly creature. "Very well, the loser shall be imprisoned in the shadow realm!" Kronos said. "I accept these terms. Mythos Ignite!" Tyson shouted, transforming into the yellow ranger. His focus slipped as he scanned the room for any civilians that could expose him as a ranger. The room was now empty. Yet before his mind could be at ease, he took a blow from Kronos. He then blocked several incoming blows before countering and knocking the monster over with a roundhouse kick to the stomach. This bought him enough time to summon his weapon. He held out his totem morpher and shouted "mythic blade!" this summoned his weapon that was now sharper and stronger than ever before. Kronos got to his feet to see the blade swung at him, he anticipated the blow and dodged it but Tyson turned around and stabbed the monster through the gut. He pulled his blade out as the monster fell to it's knees. "I...submit…" Kronos said as a dark aura surrounded him. He let out a painful scream as he was banished…

[the next day at the dragon juice bar]

The other four rangers had fully recovered and had been congratulating Tyson for his lone victory all day. He had the trophy placed on their table as he sat back with his hands behind his head whilst he admired himself. "Looks like that's two of us that have unlocked the amulet's power. I wonder who's next…" Ben said as he started to drift into the thought. "I just hope I don't get gills and grow a tail." Percy joked as everyone laughed at the idea…

[end chapter]

 **That's chapter 3 over and done with. In later chapters I will use the titans as the enemies in the zord/megazord fights but not until I have the story how I want it. Plus Kronos could return later...**

 **next chapter: Ben - Ghost boy**


	5. Chapter 4: Ben - Ghost Boy

Ch4: Ben - Ghost Boy

It was a regular monday morning in the town of Castelan, and as usual, Ben Wilson went through the day like a ghost. He woke up, got out of bed and got ready for school. As usual, nobody was around the house and everyone had left for work or school already, leaving him ignored and having to make his own way to school again. He reached the crowded bus stop and had to stay on the outskirts of the group to avoid being shoved by the careless groups within the crowd. 5 minutes of standing alone and the bus finally came. Tyson and Percy had commandeered the back few seats of the bus with the help of the girls and called Ben over as soon as they saw him enter the bus. As he sat down, the others gave a sigh of boredom as the bus set off. "What's wrong guys, you all seem like you just read a history book and not the fun kind." Ben asked, looking puzzled as to what is the matter. "First, fun history books don't exist. Second, we haven't had a monster show up all week. Third, this extremely long bus ride is getting really tedious." Emlie told him whilst playing a game on her phone. "I told you guys, as soon as my dad's car is fixed, he'll give me mine back and I'll be driving everyone again." Tyson said whilst trying to instill hope in his friends. "Thanks for the offer Tyson, but I don't feel safe in any car that you drive." Lexa said to Tyson, trying not to remember the events of the last time it happened.

After about an hour, the overcrowded bus finally stopped and opened it's doors, where the students burst out and made their way into the school. As the five rangers left the now empty bus, a gust kicked up behind them as it sped off. The first bell went shortly afterwards and began the school day. Ben and Emlie had a science class first. In the lesson they had been tasked to construct a complex chemical substance, which everyone had been shown how to do. Usually, the class would be fine and no incident would occur. This being a usual day, Ben thought that it would be absolutely fine, yet it didn't. Ben had finished mixing the formula perfectly, when out of nowhere, one of the containers containing some of the ingredients tipped over into the mix causing it to become unstable. Within seconds, the compound went from giving out a hissing noise to giving off an explosion that knocked Ben and Emlie back and onto the floor. Taking no notice of Ben, the teacher walked straight up to Emlie and began yelling. Nobody noticed Ben, usually he was okay with it, but his friend was in trouble and he was too afraid to do anything about it. Finally finishing his rant at her, the teacher shouted the word detention at her and pointed to the door. She walked out with a confused look on her face, not understanding what happened.

Lunch came and Ben walked to their regular table with a miserable expression on his face. "Emlie, I'm sorry that you got detention in class this morning, it's my fault. The container fell over and caused it to blow up. The teacher didn't notice me, as did everyone else, and I was too scared to speak up." Ben apologized with a sincere tone. "It's fine, don't beat yourself up. All I gotta do is work with Doctor Blake and Jamie after school on deciphering more about the titans. He thinks there's more of them that we might encounter soon." Emlie said before scooping up a mouthful of pudding. "Wait, something bad happened to you guys too? I got hit in the head with a tennis ball, it really hurt too." Percy said whilst he rubbed red area on his forehead.

The school day came to a close and was mostly uneventful. It came to around 4pm when the rangers received a call whilst they were out to get ice cream. "This is Doctor Blake, We've picked up distress calls coming from the old market. Suit up and see what's up." he said as the teens gathered around the phone. "alright Doc, we're on our way." Emlie told him before hanging up. "Aww, I wanted to get ice cream." Tyson moaned, looking back at the flavours. "Tyson, if you stop complaining then I'll get you two." Percy said, immediately regretting saying that. "Deal!" Tyson exclaimed as his face lit up with excitement. The rangers entered an alley behind the parlour and morphed. They then ran off in the direction of the old market. Tyson stopped for a moment as his stomach growled, but he knew he had to carry on. 'I'll come back for you' he thought, before catching up with the others.

[In Shadai's fortress, 1 hour earlier]

Shadai sat on his throne in deep thought, examining the creature that stood before him. "What is this thing? A titan lord couldn't defeat the rangers and it was in perfect condition. Now you decide that what we need it a skeletal figure, covered in dark linen wraps and has no eyes to see. This has to be the most pathetic mummy I have ever seen!" Shadai's voice began to escalate in outrage. "We did not choose this creature my lord. The crusader did." Reaper said, bowing to his master. "Crusader! What is the meaning of this!" Shadai yelled as the armoured figure rose up and approached him. "It is a diabolical construct of pure genius. It is known as Ra. Whilst it has no eyesight, it can sense entities and predict how they will attack. Give it a spear and it shall wreak havoc on the mortals my lord." Shadai gave a nod as he finished his presentation of the mummy like figure known as Ra. He then sent everyone away to carry out their duties.

[at the old market]

The rangers arrived to the sight of the mummy terrorising the civilians at the market. Ra began to speak with a deathly whisper. "Rangers! You...Shall...Fall!" The creature raised its spear towards them and gestured for the rangers to attack. Tyson and Lexa went in first. Lexa used her speed to charge at the monster but it simply stepped out of the way. She went at the monster again. This time it allowed her to get close where she began throwing rapid punches that were all successfully dodged. Tyson came up behind and was about to charge when it jumped out of the way. He ended up ramming into Lexa and knocking them both down to the ground. Percy came in with his mythic blade to strike the monster down seeing as strength and speed didn't seem to work, his blow was easily countered by Ra's spear. Emlie could see that he was in trouble and readied her blade as she ran to his aid. It was no use as the creature struck them both with it's weapon. "we need to distract it, I'll keep him busy while you and ben strike him from behind." Percy called to Emlie as he locked weapons with Ra. She and Ben readied themselves to attack the creature. They ran up and were prepared to strike when Ra flung Percy into Emlie. Consequently, this caused them both to land on top of Tyson and Lexa. With four rangers down, it was up to Ben. Ra laughed at the rangers who were helpless in front of him. Ben ran up behind the creature and struck it. Ra let out a bellowing scream as the steel slashed it. "Black Ranger! How did I miss you, nevermind you'll soon...argh...I'll be back ranger and when I do, I'll be stronger and I'll destroy you all!" The creature yelled, clearly in pain. After finishing the sentence, the monster vanished in a cloud of black smoke. "Guys you alright? Looks like he didn't see me coming and I wounded him pretty bad." Ben told the others as he helped a few of them up. "looks like we're gonna need you most when we face that thing again." Percy replied whilst trying to catch his breath. The rangers then departed to the command center to find out more about the situation.

[at the command center]

They sprinted into the command center to see Doctor Blake already working through books whilst Jamie was working on some circuits over at his workstation. "found anything yet Doc?" Emlie inquired as they all sat down to help with the research. "not yet, you guys should look for anything to do with mummies. I'm going to look into the legend surrounding the egyptian god Ra, it might give us some idea of how to defeat this creature." He began reading deep into his book as soon as he finished the sentence. Each ranger began to follow on by picking up a book from the table and began looking into it.

They had been at it for a few hours now and still no luck. "It's clear that there's nothing in here. Let's just look at the encounter and see what can be used from that to defeat him." Leda suggested, trying to shift the focus. "Well, nothing worked against it last time, but I managed to injure the monster whilst it didn't notice me. Perhaps that could help out." Ben explained as the others began thinking. "It does seem to have similarities with the monster in Pan's labyrinth, It has no eyes but it can see everything around it. Perhaps your amulet power is beginning to awaken and it can shield you from the monster somehow." Percy suggested. "If his ability is being awakened, then he should go and see him. Ben, return to the dark room that I first showed you all, sit down at the font and wait for him to come. The rest of you should return home. I'll contact you if anything comes up." Doctor Blake informed them. "and I'll cover for your whereabouts for tomorrow Ben. Doing this is the most important thing right now." He finished. The four rangers walked towards the exit as Ben walked down the hallway and towards the room. He entered and sat on one of the numerous cushions scattered around the pillar. sitting down he had the sudden urge to close his eyes. In this moment, his body went limp.

[an unknown location]

Skies were warped with different shades of energy sprawling and twisting around in the distance. Islands of blue energy floated in the distance. The ground was dense with fog and a large fissure separated the ground into two sections. In the middle of the ground lied Ben. He had just awoke and was beginning to get up. Noticing the ground around him, he jumped up, startled. "Wha-what is this placed?" Ben asked aloud. As soon as he finished his sentence, a ghostly figure appeared in front of him. "Welcome mortal, I know why you're here." It said to him. "Where is here and why am I here?" Ben asked, looking nervous. "You are in the astral plane, the spiritual world that all others are tied to, Like your planet but it has no physical form. This plane shows everything. What has passed and what is to come and what could come based on the events set in motion. You have come because of the amulet. It tied you to this world. Without it you shall suffer defeat. observe what will happen if you fail in your task." The apparition explained. "What is my task?" Ben asked. It ignored him and floated to the fissure. "See your failure first, to know it in full light will give you the insight you need to understand success." The spirit told him. Looking confused, Ben turned his gaze towards the other side of the room.

The five rangers called upon their mythic blades and began to hit the monster. This time an energy barrier, which seemed to be invisible based on the reactions of the rangers, protected Ra from any hits that it didn't manage to block. One by one, each ranger fell to the skeletal being. Sparks and explosions ravaged the area as each was destroyed. Ben stood in fear. he charged at the monster but it saw him this time. With one swift blow, he fell to his knees as he was being disintegrated by Ra's godly weapon.

Ben saw the horror unfold. The scene rapidly changed to the world being ravaged by Shadai and his minions, his power growing so much that all of his warriors were freed and destroyed any resistance to his rule. Leading the charge was a knight, armour warped. Cutting down all in his wake. "This is what happens if I fail?" Ben asked, trying to take it all in. "If you cannot control your existence. This realm exists alongside all others, as long as you tether yourself to your own realm, You can use the power of your amulet to transcend reality and exist in two places at once. You can use this to strike him down whilst you both exist and don't exist. He won't be able to sense you whilst you'll be able to attack him here. It is complicated but as soon as you complete my task, you'll be granted your ability. The answer is not straightforward, yet neither is this reality. Now, fill this bucket and you may save your friends. Goodbye Ben." The spirit finished it's sentence and vanished. In its place appeared a semi-deep pond and a bucket beside it.

[at the command center]

The old man exited from his room and walked up a flight of stairs to another room. Soon after the four rangers ran out of the command center and to a jeep outside. "You sure we'll be fine without him?" Tyson asked, looking quite worried at what might happen. "Regardless of what happens, I'm sure he'll come through for us, no matter what." Emlie reassured them all. The jeep sped off to the park where the monster had been sighted. Once they arrived, they saw that Ra was waiting. "Weak little rangers. At least you didn't bring that sneaky little black ranger with you this time. Now I'll take my time to destroy you all!" The walking corpse of a monster charged giving out a chilling scream. Each ranger, now morphed, braced themselves for impact.

[Back in the astral plane]

Percy was having trouble. The bucket give would drain each time he pulled it out of the water. "You want this bucket filled but there's holes in it, I've been at this for hours now and still no luck. This is pointless, you want it filling do it yourself!" Ben yelled at the sky. His intent on giving up, he threw the bucket into the pond completely submerging it. A blue light emerged and a familiar voice emanated from it. "Though you found the solution through anger, the bucket is filled. It was never said that you had to pull it out of the water. Now return to your own world and use the amulet to defeat Ra." The light got brighter until it blinded Ben.

[Back at the park]

Each ranger was on the floor and awaiting defeat. None could go on any longer as their energy has been sapped and each fell to the floor before demorphing. As Ra raised it's spear up and prepared to cut down Tyson, a streak of energy struck the monster from behind. It turned to find nothing there, then a flash of energy erupted from the air and Ben appeared, fully morphed, blade in hand. "It's about time that you go back in your tomb Ra!" Ben shouted, taunting the monster. It charged at him but he vanished. another strike of energy hit the beast's legs, wounding it. He reappeared and forced the monster to turn before disappearing. This time the monster had taken the initiative. It began to turn around when a great flash of energy lunged through it's stomach. Ben reappeared as Ra fell down and exploded. Sheathing his sword and demorphing, he walked up to the others. "Finally got him, I think we're all in need of a break now. Who's with me?" Ben joked as he helped the other to their feet. Tyson cheered, coughing a little as he made his feet. "As long as Percy buys me those two icecreams he promised." They all laughed as Percy retrieved his wallet and they walked in the direction of the ice cream parlour.

[end chapter]

 **That was chapter 4. I have realised now that I've been rusty with writing and it's improving as I write more, now to give excuses :P**

 **There was just under a week delay between this chapter and the last one, that's because the school season is starting pretty soon or already started and I've been getting ready for college. I will release a new chapter (that I promise is shorter than this) that will just give more of a backstory to the whole thing and explain other things. That will be released within the week and then we'll get back to the action in the chapter after that.**

 **Other than that, I'll be working on a second fanfic, based on trains and a steampunk theme,that will run alongside this one, so you can keep on the lookout for that if you want.**

 **Next chapter - Secrets**


	6. Chapter 5: Secrets

Ch5: Secrets

'Today is a day for answers' each ranger thought to themselves as they sat around a round table in the middle of a previously unused room. "Doc, why have we never been here before?" Percy asked, still contemplating the reason for all of this. "This room was meant to be used for important and long talks, the information given here will shape what is to come." He told them. They waited for the old man before continuing. When he entered, he carried a large book with an ancient symbol on the worn leather cover. Slamming it down upon the oak table he opened his mouth ready to speak. "You have fought many monsters in your quest, you have many questions I assume. Then let us begin.

Tyson was eager to ask the first question. "If we have to unlock our amulet's power first, then why was Ben able to tap into that power before I unlocked it's full potential? even if only slightly." In response, the elderly man dropped his face down and began flipping through pages to a specific section. He then stopped about mid-section. "You were not the first to use the amulets. There was a time long ago, now known as the dark ages, where nothing was certain. It was said that in the age of strife, special people could wield the amulet's power for good. We now know them as the mythic knights. When their time came, they placed the amulets back where they belonged. The power embedded itself inside them and has flowed through the bloodlines of the mythic knight's descendants for many generations. This is how you awakened your amulets and why you may experience things differently in life." he paused, taking in air, awaiting the next question.

"I saw something in the astral plane. It's had my attention more than the reasons behind our experiences. I saw a knightly figure. He was clad in dark armor and as he marched to claim the world, his armour became more demonic. What could it mean?" The face of the elderly man darkened. "we should have spoken sooner about this. It is an uncertain vision, yet I know of the figure you described. Once a mythic knight like the others. At the end of the period of strife, he embarked on a journey to return the amulet to its resting spot. Afflicted by a curse during his journey, it corrupted the amulet and his armour. Driving him mad, the knight transformed from a valourous protector of the people to a dark tyrant that would plague the land for centuries. He is known to history as the black knight. He will come soon enough and when he does you must be ready." Pausing again, he felt a shiver up his spine as he tracks into deep thought. Jamie takes him out of the room to rest.

"If we defeat the black knight and somehow redeem him, what will happen doc?" Emlie asked, trying to find something useful from the information. "Then the amulet will be free, and so will he. Perhaps we can get a new ranger out of it too. It is not certain, however we'll all try our best to free him." the doctor finished. "So, what about the titans then, there are more aren't they?" Lexa asked with a worried look on her face. "Yes, and they will come in time. Luckily, Shadai cannot harness the power to release one and grant it it's full size at this point in time, I'll let you know if that changes." He presented a smug look on his face as he made the joke, the teens stared at him wondering what was funny.

Percy was allowed to ask the final question as it was starting to get late and they all had work that needed doing. "So, Ben, Lexa and Tyson have all unlocked their powers, either in the heat of the moment, by pure chance or some other kind of otherworldly voodoo. Why haven't we got any hint of power or ability like they have. We've worked just as hard and nothing." Doctor Blake knew the answer and told him with confidence. "It is because you aren't ready. Your power can only be unlocked through a certain understanding of it or put through a spiritual trial of some kind. In some cases both. You need to seize the opportunity, otherwise you may never unlock it." Percy and Emlie both looked downward as a result.

Each ranger departed one by one as the day ended. The wise old man walked up to the doctor and began to speak. "They know of the knight now, and their heritage. It wasn't by chance that the rangers found the amulets They were destined for it. Have jamie work on a new morpher just incase he can be redeemed. I have a pilgrimage to make, nothing you say will stop me and I will begin packing immediately. I leave tomorrow, and I shall return when ready." Doctor Blake felt his jaw drop. "You planned this and told me nothing of it?!" He exclaimed at the man. "I'll be fine. This was planned from the moment they became rangers. It has only been escalated because of recent events. Keep them safe doctor." He gave a nod to the man before leaving.

[In Shadai's Fortress]

An enraged Shadai kicks the shadow crusader to the ground. "You have failed me! Defeating the rangers is hopeless while you fools plan their downfall. This time I shall choose a monster to destroy them and you'll not get in my way if you know what's good for you." He dismissed his commanders from his throne room. Outside there was bickering between Reaper and Commander Exodius. The shadow crusader held his side as he entered his chambers. He felt a searing headache and collapsed to the floor.

Inside his head he saw flashbacks. Fighting alongside the mythic knights and being cursed into his current form. 'I remember this. The day I was reborn. I vowed to destroy the mythic knights one by one. I may have failed then but these power rangers, they possess the amulets. For this they will be destroyed. Let Shadai try. Once the fool fails, I shall deal with the rangers myself.' he thought. Slowly he regained his consciousness to see that hours had passed and dawn had come.

[end chapter]

 **That's chapter 5. The rangers received answers to their questions and there could be another ranger coming, but I've made that complicated too. It won't happen in the next few chapters but it'll gradually build up. The shadow crusader doesn't work for shadai and plots against him and he'll be coming into the fight soon in a special chapter.**

 **next chapter - Percy: Straight lines**


	7. Chapter 6: Percy - Straight Lines

Ch6: Percy - Straight lines

'The middle of the week and still no monster attacks' Percy thought to himself as he entered Doctor Blake's classroom and sat beside his friends. Within the next few minutes, he began to zone out. Doctor Blake was about to scorn him when the teacher got a text. 'Hmm...that's unexpected, guess I'll have to be a little bit harsh on the rangers today, eh they'll get over it.' He thought eying the text. "That's it! Percy, outside now!" He yelled at the unaware student. "But...I didn't do anything..." He replied, snapping out of his catatonic state. "That's the last time, you five, out! I'll deal with you all in a minute." Doctor Blake shouted, pointing at the five teens. Like dominoes, each ranger followed the last into the hallway.

After a minute two, he emerged from the class. "Really sorry about that rangers. Had to get you out of there somehow. We've got a monster attack happening right now. Seems a bit odd to me, don't worry I'll cover for you, just go." He said in a hushed tone. His voice quickly escalated to shouting level, enough so that the entire class could hear him. "Now get out of my sight!" He blasted at the teens, ushering them off with his hands. The rangers headed off down the corridor.

[at the town square]

An agitated monster was harassing the civilians. Each ranger stood with their totem morphers held out. "Mythos Ignite!" They shouted in unison. "This one looks fairly weak, I think we could just take him with our fists." Tyson boasted to the others. "Then let's make a game out of it." Lexa enthusiastically joked. Each ranger readied their fighting stance as the oversized crustacean stood before them. "Ugh...what the hell are you?" Percy questioned, disgusted by the appearance of the creature. "Oh me? I'm Fabulous!" The creature sung. "I wouldn't go that far creep. Let's get this over with guys." Emlie commanded.

Each ranger charged at the monster. Lexa ran circles around it with her speed. Tyson began a barrage of hits that clobbered it. Ben and Emlie tag teamed the beast and knocked it down. "Oww... That hurt! Cool boots though." It said as it hit the ground with a thump. Percy came in for the last blow. As it was getting up, he struck it square in the gut sending it staggering back. It swung a tan scarf around its neck before uttering the words "Totally...not...fabulous..." It dropped to its knees and exploded.

Each ranger powered down one by one. "I knew this job was weird but, a fashionable crab! Who comes up with this stuff?" Ben asked the others, giving a serious face as he said it. The others couldn't help but laugh as to what their friend said, him being clueless as to the comedic aspect himself. The Rangers sprinted away to make sure that nobody knew what exactly happened.

[At Shadai's fortress]

Commander Exodius burst into the throne room where the other villains stood. "Lord Shadai, I witnessed the downfall of one of our monsters. What was the meaning of sending the weakest of your minions to crush those rangers!" He shouted, demanding an answer. "I did this. Apparently it was a mistake. So please shadow crusader, if you believe that you are supreme, destroy the children yourself." Shadai ordered, his face getting angrier. "Fine 'my lord' they shall suffer and then you shall bow before me." He proclaimed in a sarcastic tone. Pulling out his blade, he struck one of the guards as he exited to prepare for his battle.

[at the dragon juice bar]

George, the owner, was cleaning the bar whilst the teens sat down with their drinks. "Today was quite simple." Tyson told them as he sat down. "Yeah, I just hope that the rest of Shadai's minions are this easy." Lexa joked, taking a sip out of a glass of orange juice. "Yeah. So, what's everyone doing at the weekend." Percy questioned. "We're watching a monster movie marathon, you want in?" Ben told him. "Nah, fishing trip. Plus I have to work out this amulet and how to unlock its power. I Think connecting with my element may help. He replied. Their conversation was interrupted by a ring going off. "Sorry. I'll be back guys." Emlie told them as she stepped outside.

Standing outside, she accepted the call and put her ear to her phone. A woman's voice came from the device. "Emlie, darling good to speak to you. Are you alone?" Her mother asked. "Ugh, what is it mom?" She groaned. "I have video footage of the mythos rangers morphing, come tell me what's going on tomorrow when I'm back from work, I know we don't have a good relationship but this could be big." Her mother informed her. "Okay, I'll be at home all day then. Bye." She told her. "Bye darling" the phone cut off and Emlie walked back into the juice bar. The Rangers sat looking at her. "So, what happened?" They asked. "We have a problem." Emlie said with a worried look on her face.

After telling them about her conversation with her mother, Ben butted in. "That's really bad and you need to get it under control, we have another matter too. Doctor Blake needs us to hand in our morphers for the weekend. Told us that he wanted to make a few alterations for our next fight." "Ah, okay, I'll head there later then." Emlie informed him as she finished off her milkshake.

[a few hours later - at the command center]

The last of the totem morphers had been handed in and Doctor Blake was looking over schematics and drawings whilst Jamie tinkered with each morpher. "Okay so if I put that there and fuse these parts together...There!" Jamie exclaimed as he finished it. "Great work kid, now just do the same thing with the other four, I'll get to work on building the Templar morpher." He politely ordered his intern. "Templar morpher, seriously?" He joked at his mentor. "I just call it like I see it." He cracked a smile before exiting the room and returning with a box of varying electronics. "Now be a good boy and finish the morphers and then I'll let you help me with this." He joked back at Jamie.

[on a dirt road]

An open back truck was cruising through the countryside nearing its destination. A few minutes later, the truck turned a corner that masked the site with trees and a giant lake, populated densely with holiday goers, sat before them. A bright sun beamed high in the sky and reflected off of the rich blue surface. 'Lake Llyn' Percy thought to himself 'Best place I can think of to connect with my amulet. "Percy help me get the gear unpacked, and remember, no swimming, I don't wanna lose you. You had me worried last time." His dad told him. "Fine, I just planned for a quiet weekend anyway, had a lot of work the past few weeks." Percy replied, picking up the fishing rods and taking them into his father's lodge.

Over the next few hours he sat with his father and his brother Max. Each of them out on the dock sitting on foldable chairs. "A few nibbles but still nothing" Percy sighed. "Cheer up son, something'll come soon, in fact, look at your line." His father reassured him. He turned to feel a large tug on his fishing rod. "Woah it's a big one!" His dad enthused. The line kept getting tugged harder and harder. Then it pulled Percy into the water. He was wailing and splashing as he failed to keep himself calm. "Percy! Percy! Swim over! Percy! Don't panic, I'm coming!" His dad shouted before jumping in after him. Pulling himself to his son and dragging him back to land effortlessly, he gave a sigh of relief knowing his son was out of harm. "Percy, I think it's best if you stay away from the water. Whatever happened the last time you went diving, you're scared of it." His father told him as he was wrapped in a blanket.

[at Emlie's house]

She sat there patiently as she waited for her mother. Slowly the door opened and the well dressed figure appeared. Dropping her work bag by the door and placing her keys on the stand. Eventually sitting opposite her daughter. "I understand that you have something to show me, and by the sound of it something you want." Emlie told her mother. "I do. I have video footage of the power rangers, they looked like civilians at first glance but then they morphed into their suits. As soon as I had the footage of them, I ran off. When I saw who it was, well, I thought it best I spoke with you first." Janine explained to her daughter. "And?" Emlie asked impolitely. "Tell me about it, I know you're the leader, I know who your friends are too. Let's hear it all, I want everyone to know how great you all are." She enthused. "No mom. We don't want the publicity, it's never been about that. If you think that you finding out who we are is something you can exploit, then maybe you should take a good look at yourself. You'll do so much worse than good. Just think about what you'd be doing." Ashamed, Emlie walked out the door and headed for her friend's house.

[at lake Llyn]

It was around midnight, Percy laid sleeping on the couch, a rag over his head. His face giving off expressions of anger and fear as he let out short cries as he slept. He opened his eyes and gasped for air as his body gave off a violent jolt. He sat up, hearing soft whispers of a woman's voice, beckoning him to come closer. He exited out into the cool air of the night. It kept calling for him to come closer, and closer he went. Yet he stopped at the edge of the lake. "Come to me Percy, do not fear. I am the lady of Llyn. You are afraid of the water, afraid that your fate shall be repeated. Do not fear, fear holds you back, you will be protected. Take my hand and I shall show you the way." Her voice echoed from the water. A hand then rose from the moonlight lake, pointing out towards him. In turn, he raised his hand to the one risen from the water. At first, he pulled back in hesitation, then he felt oddly at peace as he clasped the hand of the woman in the water.

Quickly, she pulled him in, yet he didn't struggle as he let the currents of the water flow through him and descended into the depths."Do not fear the water, it is a part of you guardian. Sleep now, be one with your element, don't let it hold you back." Her voice came again as he was completely submerged in the water of the lake.

In the morning his father awoke to a scare as Percy was missing and the door was wide open. He ran outside to yell for his son but was cut off by a voice calling him instead. "Dad! I'm fine, it's fine, something happened last night, it felt real but I'm over my fear. Nothing's gonna hold me back now!" Percy shouted enthusiastically as he saw in the cooling waters of the lake. His dad gave a smile and a small cheer that his son had overcame his fears. Percy gave a smile back but stopped swimming as he saw his amulet glow with a deep blue. 'Guess I finally conquered the last obstacle' he thought to himself as he swam back to his family.

[at school]

Percy had just finished speaking to his friends. "So that's really how it happened? Guess there's something holding me back too then." Emlie told them with a sigh. 'Just wish I knew what that was' she thought as the minutes went on.

It was the last lesson of the day and there was a new topic of discussion in Doctor Blake's class. "Alright, I can see this is going nowhere. Would you please stand up and introduce yourself to the class." The teacher asked a new student to the school. "I'm Aaron and I'm new to the area. I hail from England and this is around the third day I've been in the United States. My father's doing." The young man spoke with a stereotypical British accent. He was athletically built. He had rough, brown hair, wore streamlined box framed glasses and wore a watch on his left arm. His clothes consisted of, a grey hoodie, sleeves rolled up. A dark grey polo shirt with a red X on the pocket, navy blue jeans and white slip on trainers. "Any questions?" He asked. Several raised their hands and he pointed at Lexa. "Hi, I'm Lexa. I wanted to know, what's it like being you then, well British, I mean." He paused and thought about it. "I can't speak for everyone else, but... It's very sophisticated and usually involves remembering a lot of things, for instance, not breaking this charming persona we put on for outsiders by speaking in a regional accent." He finished his sentence and the class began telling him to speak in his accent. Finally he gave in and told them he would be doing a Yorkshire accent. "Ya aright theyer lad, du yer wanna go darn t' pub inabit an get smashed" he spoke in a farmer accent. Everyone began laughing uncontrollably at it, even Aaron himself. "And now you know why I'm and most others, speak like this." He joked in his typical British accent as the class bell rang.

[on top of a building in the town]

Standing by the ledge of the building was the shadow crusader. Clutching his sword he gave a sigh. 'Soon the rangers will fall, then so shall that fool shadai. I shall bring a new age of darkness as I fly my master's banner. He will be free soon enough' he thought as he stood looking down on the hard hatted workers of a steel refinery...

|MYTHOS|

 **That is chapter five over and done with. This made Percy face his fear with the help of the lady of the lake, from the Arthurian legend, it was a subtle reference as Llyn is theorised to be that lake. The rangers have a new problem in the form of Emlie's mother. And I put in a few motives for the shadow crusader at the end too, all will be revealed in good time. Also I changed the layout a bit so it's less blocky, I think**

 **As for the new character introduction. He will have his purpose, with his personality, I wanted to portray someone from England, the typical accent was made up as a universal one so everyone could understand properly, whilst the regional one, you'll only understand it if you're from or close to that region. I did this as I actually speak that way and wanted to portray what I thought of the whole thing, and I'm from Yorkshire so I could take it a bit too far too :D, strange as to why I set it in America. Anyway, it was all for good fun and setting that character's personality.**

 **Last note. I am not against crabs being fabulous and they have a right to be as fabulous as they want. No fabulous crabs were hurt in the writing of this chapter :D**

 **Next chapter: Broken Code: Part 1 - Drums of War**

 **Synopsis: (decided to make these too) with four rangers having unlocked their true potential, Emlie searches for her own. What stands in the path of the rangers this time may very well defeat them. The drums of war are calling, the fallen knight raises his blade and faces the Rangers in combat. Next time in the three part special story arc.**


	8. Chapter 7: Broken Code: Part 1

Ch7: Broken Code: Part 1 - Drums of War

It had been a few days since Emlie had walked out on her mother and she decided to crash at Tyson's for the time being. Only because he'd got his car back recently and they'd all be traveling together. Lifting her head up off of her makeshift bed in the living room, she pulled off her blankets before rubbing her eyes. She held up her amulet and gave a sigh before picking up her bag and heading to the bathroom.

After about 10 minutes in there, she had almost finished doing her hair into a bun when a knock came at the door. Quickly followed by Tyson's voice. "Hey, Emlie! If you're in there, make it quick, I've gotta go." He shouted in desperation. "Tyson, I'm nowhere near ready, can't it wait?" She shouted back as she placed a few more pins in her hair. "If you don't let me through, then I'm gonna have to visit my old friend Mr plant." He pleaded again. "Mr plant? Tyson just hold on a minute, I'm almost done with my hair." She informed the dancing brute waiting outside the door. "That's not short enough, sorry to have to do this Mr plant but I'm about to piss myself." He said as he unzipped his fly and relieved himself on a potted plant in the corner of the hallway. He gave a sigh of relief and began whistling a tune as he tinkled. "Tyson! On the plant? Seriously you have to be the most disgusting person I know!" Emlie yelled in disgust at her now content friend. "This is why we don't have guests around. It always ends badly with one toilet. Just be glad I just needed a piss!" He joked. Emlie shuddered at the thought.

[in Tyson's car]

Ben got into the front passenger seat, being greeted by the other four as he entered. Emlie clutched her bag close and had her knees to her chest and feet on the seat. "You okay Emlie?" Ben asked as he dumped his bag by the seat. She shook her head and retreated more inward. "She's not very happy with me for killing a plant with my urine. And she's afraid that my car is full of horrible things too, like rotting pizza. She'll be fine when we're at school." Tyson's answered as Emlie cringed again. Ben shook his head, regretting that he asked.

A few more minutes and they parked up and headed over to the school's main entrance. Aaron, their newest classmate was at the front entrance trying to adjust to his new routine. By the look of it he seemed lost. The five teens approached him together. Percy went up to speak with his new classmate. "Hey Aaron. I'm Percy Smith, one of your classmates. These are my friends." He greeted Aaron. "Tyson Stone." "Ben Wilson." "Lexa Eve." "Emlie Lane." The other four introduced themselves. "Good to meet you all. Could you help me out? I need a guide for some of my lessons, I got lost a bit earlier so I made my way here." He told them in his classy tone. "Let's have a look at your lesson times then." Ben said as they headed over to him. "Yeah, I'm sure we can help you, might as well hang out with us. You'll be in a lesson with at least one of us...All the time, lucky coincidence I think." He told Aaron with a laugh as he looked over his timetable.

[at the command center]

After school, the five rangers talked about their new friend as they entered their base finding their history teacher, Jamie and the old man standing side by side. "What's going on?" Lexa asked as she saw the stern look on Doctor Blake's face. "Follow us rangers." He told the as they headed down the hallway. They arrived inside the room with the round table. "Sit down, we'll explain. Each ranger took a seat as Jamie entered carrying a tray with their five morphers. "We took the liberty of a peaceful weekend to modify your morphers. This was to increase morpher efficiency and convenience. We installed a communicator in each of them so that it would be easier to contact you. It'll emit a sound from it when you're being called. The other tweak that we made was fusing the morph and blade sequences together. When you morph, it will give off the energy of summoning your blades whilst morphing you and summoning your blades simultaneously." He informed them.

After taking this information in, the old man stepped forward and began speaking as Jamie laid another object on the table. "I have been gone till yesterday. I embarked upon a trip to secure a valuable asset, there was a price but you need not know of that. When the crusader was cursed, his soul was split, so too was the amulet. He has only a fraction of his true power now, and we have the other half. If we can free the cursed warrior from his blight, we may have another ranger. Behold, the Templar morpher." He told them, gesturing to the object on the table. The morpher itself was silver in the shape of a hilt without the blade. Jamie retracted the hand guards on either side of the morpher. On the grip of the morpher sat half of an amulet. A hilt with a broken blade, fittingly. "We have a candidate, yet we seek to utilise the crusader himself if he can be redeemed. I have seen his coming and the shadow crusader acts soon. Be prepared." He finished. A couple of seconds after, an alarm went off signalling an attack. "It looks like he's acting now." Jamie informed them as he tapped at his tablet. "Oh great, we said his name too many times." Lexa shouted out. "No time to lose. We might not be ready, but we're gonna give him one hell of a fight." Emlie reassured her team.

[inside the steel refinery]

He stood there in the now abandoned structure, clutching his blade's hilt, awaiting the rangers. He cut down the fleeing workers just for them to come. He was ready. "Shadow Crusader! Surrender now! We can help!" Emlie ordered as the others stood either side of her. "You think I want your help. No! I want revenge!" He shouted as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards them. Each ranger held their totem morpher out. "Mythos Ignite!" They shouted in unison. Their suits forming as their symbol was displayed in front of them, the mythic blades formed from bright lights in their hands.

"Power of Atlantis, Mythos Blue!" Percy announced. "Power of Asgard, Mythos Yellow!" Tyson followed on. "Power of Astral, Mythos Black!" Ben shouted. "Power of Babylon, Mythos Pink!" Lexa posed. "Power of Elysium, Mythos White!" Emlie finished. Each ranger held their blade high. "Power Rangers, Mythos!" They yelled out as they struck down their swords from the air. "We're playing that game then? Scourge of Albion! Shadow Crusader!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Once again he raised his blade towards them and charged. Each ranger in turn raised their blades in defence and stood to brace for impact. He skidded to a halt and let out a purple energy beam that blasted them back. Each of them withstood the blast just enough to stay on their feet, but they staggered from the strike. "I see you like your tricks! Well we have tricks of our own too, let's show him guys!" Percy shouted, gesturing to their amulets. The four lit their amulets up and prepared, Lexa readied herself to run, Ben hid and Tyson got into a combat pose. "Been testing out my new abilities. Guess he's gonna be the first to witness it." Percy told the others. He held out his hand towards a toppled over barrel and performed a lifting motion with his hand. Instantly the barrel levitated and, with the flick of his wrist, flew through the air. The crusader had only moments to raise his sword and slice the barrel in half before it hit him. Distracted by that, Lexa sped in and struck the crusader in the side. Ben appeared from behind and stuck him down the back. Tyson ran in and overpowered him before picking him up and throwing him into a pile of scrap metal. The rangers lined up and pointed their blades towards him. "It's over, give up." Emlie called to the wounded swordsman holding his side. "Do it. Use your blades to strike me down. I guarantee that you mortals will fail." The crusader taunted.

They stood ready, and in unison, they struck down their swords and send a wave of golden energy towards him. "Shadow Steel!" He yelled at it got closer to him. His armour thickened, becoming more protective and growing horns from the crown of the helmet. He took a defensive stance as the energy hit him. Putting all of his strength into it, the pulse dragged him back, ultimately he withstood the blast as it dispersed. "Weak. Bask in the glory of my true power. I can destroy you now, I can destroy you whenever I want. Without all of your powers combined, you are nothing. Goodbye for now. When next we meet, It shall be our last." He shot off another strike of purple energy that blasted the rangers and knocked them to the ground before he disappeared into the darkness.

Each ranger demorphed before rising to their feet. "We just got our asses handed to us." Tyson sighed. "Since when did you get so vulgar?" Lexa questioned. "Since this got a lot tougher." He grunted. "We gotta find a way to beat him, we have our abilities, what more do we need?" Ben asked rhetorically. "We need everyone. Emlie, you need to unlock your amulet, we can't face him without you." Percy told her, a hint of desperation at his plea. "I..I need time. I don't know how or what I have to go through yet. Maybe I'm not supposed to, maybe that responsibility falls to someone else. Just give me some time to think it through. Lets just go home." They all turned to the exit and walked out as the sun began to set. It had been a rough day for them, times were changing and it was only about to get rougher.

[at Shadai's Fortress]

Shadai sat there in deep thought. "That crusader could not finish the job. I am still weak from my awakening and this body shall not suffice forever. I need something new, something strong. Find me one such as this. Soon I shall walk from my fortress, use up the remaining energy of this mortal and feed on the world. If that crusader gets in my way. He shall feel my wrath." Shadai ordered to his two minions that were bowing before him. "As you wish my lord. We have already seen one that fits your needs and we are ready to take him when you are ready." Commander Exodius informed Shadai. A sinister smile came across his aged face. "Soon." he told them as he plotted his rise.

[A secluded mansion]

In the study of a vast mansion, that was secluded by trees from the rest of the region, a man in his late 40s sat. reading aloud some text in a large book. "And it was so that Lancelot Du Lac, knight of the round table and personal friend of king Arthur, gave himself to the darkness. Shattering his amulet in two hiding one half away. Sealed away a great plague, greater than Shadai himself, and saved the land from tyranny. Yet at a price. He was warped and transformed. Only the combined powers of the other five amulets would break his curse, yet they were lost. So came the birth of the immortal shadow crusader, which gave way to the legend of the black knight." He cut off at the sound of footsteps. He then closed the book that had the Du Lac family crest on the cover. An older man with a balding head waited patiently in the corridor. "May I help you Allister?" The man at his desk asked. "Yes sir. Master Aaron has returned from the town and requests and audience." Allister told him. "Tell my son that I have a few more preparations to make and that I'll speak with him tomorrow." The other man replied. "As you wish Mr Du Lac." Allister obeyed before leaving his master to his work.

[At Tyson's House]

Emlie was sleeping back on the makeshift bed in the livingroom. She seemed to be in distress as she moved about in her sleep. Memories kept propping up of her fighting about something with her mother as a voice repeated the same words each time.

What Keeps Holding You Back?

|MYTHOS|

 **That's the first part of the broken code arc. As you can guess, it'll tie in with Emlie's character spotlight, and a few other characters storylines. Plus, in the next two chapters, all kinds of stuff will be happening.**

 **In other news, Steam Force will be coming out either at the end of this week or sometime next week, That's why this chapter's out today instead of around mid-week.**

 **Next chapter: Broken Code: Part 2 - Sacrifice**

 **Synopsis: Each ranger has to overcome an obstacle, even if they don't like it. Can Emlie get past her deepest regret and fear? Meanwhile, the shadow crusader hunts the rangers, wanting evermore to destroy the bearers of hope. As his story is revealed, he grows ever closer to freedom from the darkness that infests him. Finally, Shadai hunts for a new body as his current is volatile and failing. Targeting a familiar face, he prepares himself to enter the town and take control. Next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	9. Chapter 8: Broken Code: Part 2

Ch8: Broken Code: Part 2 - Sacrifice

In the middle of the night. A soft blue hue seeping in through the curtains of the living room. As with the past few days, Emlie was restless as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Only this time she woke up and gasped for air as the message finally hit her. There was one relationship that was broken, deep inside, she wanted it to be patched up and it distracted her from her duty. If she was going to unlock her power, she'd need to clear her mind of the one thing that she regrets not doing, yet fears it too much that till this day, she has left the task undone. Leaving her pile of blankets and cushions, she opened the curtains and stared up to the stars above, contemplating what to do next.

A few hours later, Tyson awoke and headed downstairs. Entering the room, he was surprised to see that the blankets were folded neatly and cushions put back where they belonged. Soon he realised what had happened and ran upstairs to retrieve his phone. In a few minutes he had called Doctor Blake and the other rangers in worry for their friend. After retrieving a few more items, he ran out to his car.

[at Emlie's house]

She entered and slung a rucksack by the coat stand. Taking a seat, she turned to face her mother, who had been waiting there since she got the call. Giving a sigh, Emlie finally told her mother what was happening. "It began the first week we were sighted. After that, we defeated every monster that came at us. It wasn't easy and we always needed to figure out some new way to defeat the next one. I became the leader to keep us organised. Now I'm not sure if I'm cut out to be a ranger. If I am, if I'm not anyway, I want to know that I can count on you to keep our identities a secret. And if it's possible...I...I'd like to...patch things up with you mom. I know that we haven't agreed on everything or anything really but... I don't want this to get any worse, I'd like to get back to the way things were before everything changed."

Her mother took all of the information in and thought about it for a moment. "I understand. I should never have tried to manipulate you or your friends and use you for personal gain. I have come to realise my flaws and I will work on them. I'll try be more of a mother and less of a reporter in future, I wanted great things for you but it seems they found you instead. I'm proud of you and what you're doing, saving the world is admirable. We can't pretend like nothing happened but, we can start over, if that's something you'd want?" She told Emlie.

In reply Emlie gave a nod and a smile. Her mom held out her arms for a hug, hoping to receive one. In response, Emlie wrapped her arms around her and squeezed tight, finally feeling free of a great burden. A small tear trickling down her cheek.

[at Shadai's fortress]

The otherworldly overlord fell to his hands and knees in the throne room. Letting out a roar in pain as he collapsed to the floor. "This body is failing! I won't last another hour until my spirit withdraws from this vessel. Prepare me transport to find this new host. I must carry on." He ordered, getting back up just to fall down again.

Commander Exodius and Reaper entered into a room with a circular gateway. Reaper set down a black vase whilst Exodius placed a red seal upon it. "The life force of the mortal host has almost been expended. We must set a trap for his new vessel. I shall send an infiltrator to find the best way to deal with this." Reaper told the brute of a shade commander before waving his scythe over the gateway. Causing it to glow purple as it connected to the shadow realm. A humanoid figure stepped out. "You have been chosen to repay your debt. Follow this mortal and report on any location ideal for an ambush that he frequents. Do this and your soul is yours again." Reaper told him, handing the figure a picture of a familiar face. The figure bowed before leaving.

[at the command center]

Doctor Blake looked at the concerned teens. "I know she had doubts about being a ranger but this is something she had to figure out herself. By what you told me, she left of her own terms and disappeared without word. Even if there's more. We have other problems to deal with. The crusader is back. This time he's waiting for you. Up on the hill on the east end of town lies fort uther. Tourists reported seeing an intimidating armoured figure in the courtyard, they left him alone as they feared for their safety. I suggest that you go handle him. I'll try raise her on the communicator. Good luck to all of you." He informed them. Grabbing their morphers, each ranger ran out to Tyson's car as her turned on the engine, he turned on the ignition and they sped off to face the fallen knight.

[at fort uther]

Stone walls rose high, time had weathered them and destroyed much of the fortress. Moss grew through the crevasses and dead leaves covered the cold mud ground. His sword in the ground, fingers grasping the hilt, there he stood. Knightly armour, charcoal black. A tattered cape, now a faded crimson, bearing a once golden dragon, now scorched and worn. His helmet bore the cross as its visor, only it emitted a bright red glow from it. Deep in thought he was, as he remembered in depth his rebirth.

[flashback]

After the period of strife, Lancelot walked his last road. Alone he embarked to the stone where Arthur pulled his sword from in the legend. Once arriving he had a vision of a new threat. To protect this amulet, he broke it in two and left the hilt side behind. Venturing to an ancient portal. Finally, the knight arrived. Before him stood a creature unimaginably grotesque. After conversation with it, it decided to corrupt him. The beast grabbed hold and Lancelot struggled to break free. With his options limited he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Holding out the blade of the amulet he said his peace and began chanting the words of an ancient ritual. "With the power of Albion I seal this demon. I sacrifice my soul for the good of all. Begone!" He shouted. With a bright light the demon vanished. Lancelot rose from the floor and over to a pool red energy flowed through his eyes as the corruption began to take over. With a violent scream, he was possessed by the darkness and the hero became a villain.

[end flashback]

He rose his head at the sound of footsteps. The blade of the amulet rested around his neck. Percy, Tyson, Ben and Lexa stood side by side. "It's over crusader. It ends here." Percy called to the warrior. "So it does ranger. I see your leader isn't here either. Alas, you'll have to do." He told them raising his sword. Each of them held their totem morpher out. "Mythos Ignite!" They chanted. The hammer, trident, axe and bow sigils appeared in front of the four Rangers and they morphed. Blades in hand, they pointed their mythic blades at him and charged. Following on, the shadow crusader charged towards them too.

[at Du Lac manor]

Lord Du Lac sat across from his so in a cosy living area that was the size of one in a common home. "I see that from what you have told me, you're adjusting to school well. Now you've told me about all of these experiences, I have something to tell you. I have told you how the Du Lac family has been one of the most powerful in the world. Now I shall tell you about the first Du Lac that made his mark. Listen closely as I shall tell you this only once." His father proceeded to tell the tale he had learned from the book.

After a long discussion about the fallen knight and his story, his father told him about the amulet. "You see, I found the amulet. I gave it to someone for safekeeping and to make other improvements to the power of it. Soon all shall be revealed son, when that time comes, you will play your part. I have trained you in martial arts since you were a boy. Soon you'll need that knowledge, I hope that's all you'll need…" He trailed off. "You okay dad?" Aaron asked. "Ah, yes, it's just that there's going to be a difficult time ahead." He replied. "I must leave, Allister will take care of you now." He told Aaron before departing. "Same as always." he sighed as his father left for his study. 'he's always been obsessed with this, can't he just let it go?' Aaron questioned inside his head.

[at fort uther]

In a flash of sparks, steel met as the the rangers struck their blades against the ancient sword the crusader possessed. Lexa tried to get the upperhand by dashing past him, but she was knocked back by the pommel of the sword. He slashed at the other rangers before striking Percy with his metallic fist and knocking him into a wall. Tyson again tried to overpower the knight. He kept pushing against him and it looked as if he was winning. The crusader stopped pushing against Tyson and moved out of the way. As a result, Tyson charged straight forward "oh, shit." he murmured as he saw where he was going, by the time he realised it was too late. He ran off of the ground and fell into a ditch at the edge of the fort. Worse yet, it was full of water.

Ben, being the last of the group not yet to fall, was checking on his other two teammates. Concerned with them more than their attacker, he didn't see a slash down the back coming and then was kicked in the chest by the warrior as he collapsed like the rest of them. Each of the rangers laying on the ground, victory was certain. Tyson pulled out his totem morpher and flipped a switch. "Doc, any sign of Emlie? We can't do this without her and right now, we're in a bit of trouble." He spoke into the morpher. "We're trying but you've gotta keep going for a bit longer." a reply came in. "We'll try but I don't know how long we can hold him." Tyson replied back as he got to his feet and pointed the blade towards the crusader.

[meanwhile]

Emlie had finished sorting out other things around town when she realised that she was missing something. She'd left her bag by the door at home. Quickly, she realised the situation she was in. The crusader could have returned and the rangers could be fighting him right now. More than likely, they'd need her help. She turned the next street corner and ran as fast as she could to her home.

After finally running in and retrieving her bag, she ran outside and pulled out her morpher. With haste, she activated the communicator as she saw the flashing light. "Emlie, good. You've finally answered. There's no time to chat. You need to get to fort uther right away. The rangers need you now." He shouted from the communicator. Giving confirmation, she ran around the corner and pulled out her totem morpher once again. "Mythos Ignite!" She shouted as the energy spear appeared in front of her as she began to morph.

[at fort uther]

The rangers were once again facing off against the crusader. Each of them had sustained heavy damage from their opponent, he himself had not a scratch. "Give up rangers. This is the end for you. Don't resist, there is no need to fight when you know the outcome will be the same each time." He told them. "That's where you're wrong." A voice came from outside the battlefield. The white ranger ran in brandishing her mythic blade as she stood in front of the others. "We won't back down against evil. We stand strong, united as one. We're power rangers and we never give up!" Emlie announced to the crusader. Her amulet let off a soft glow as she finished her sentence.

In a bright flash, the rangers suits transformed as the light faded back again. Each of them had translucent golden armour that seemed to be made entirely of energy. "This isn't possible, I cannot let this continue!" He let out a roar. He charged head on at the rangers, slashing dark energy at them. Upon impact, it faded away as it hit the armour. Retaliating, each ranger let out a slash at him. Knocking him to his knees he knew he was defeated. A light went off in each ranger's head. "Everyone else thinking the same thing? Let's combine our powers." Emlie confidently told the others. They all stood in a line opposite the crusader. Lexa put a hand on Ben's shoulder, Percy placing his hand on Tyson's. Ben and Tyson placed their hands on each of Emlie's shoulders. With a flash of light, each amulet began to glow. As one, they shouted the same word. "Unity!" as a beam of golden light blasted forward and struck the crusader, blinding them all.

As the light finally faded, the earth was scorched. The rangers had demorphed from the use of so much energy. When they finally saw the result, the battle was over. The crusader was no more. In his place was that of an armoured knight. He donned a light steel cuirass with a flowing red cape and a bright golden dragon. a helmet lay at his feet. A fine longsword in his scabbard. The knight was pale and has shoulder length black hair. He had a rough beard and his face was dirtied. His eyes glistened brown as the setting sun faced him. He gave of the words "Thank you." before he lost consciousness. The rangers ran over to help the knight as he fell to the floor. For now the battle was over, but just how long would that last?

|Mythos|

 **That was chapter 8 and part 2 of the broken code arc. This arc tied up the character spotlight, and lancelot is free, with a new journey ahead of him. As for the other parts of the chapter, they serve a later purpose, although it was harder to do and it needs more to it, in the next chapter, before it isn't strange.**

 **For next week, there won't be an update, steam force will be written up and posted instead, but after that, there will be weekly updates to this again. This is because I have other writing to do and I can't take on three things in a week and by then, I wouldn't have updated steam force in a couple of weeks.**

 **Next chapter: Broken Code: Part 3 - Possession**

 **Synopsis - Lancelot adjusts to the 21st century as he finds a new purpose in life, Shadai readies his possession of a new host, and the rangers fight off a new monster with a BIG surprise. Can they defeat him with some new gear? What will become of Lancelot? Who is Shadai going to possess? Find out next time on Power Rangers Mythos.**


	10. Chapter 9: Broken Code: Part 3

Ch9: Broken Code: Part 3 - Possession

It had been a few days since Lancelot had been freed. He was sleeping in the command center whilst he got to grips with the 21st century. His latest endeavour, mastering the alarm clock. A loud buzzing noise came from the box at the side of the bed. He woke up with a startle and jumped out of the sheets. "Face me foul daemon!" He demanded as he looked around the room. "Found you!" He shouted as he grabbed hold of the box. The wires began to tangle around him as he wrestled with the technology.

As he fought, he fell as the wires pulled him down when he stood on them. "Foul beast, thou shalt not get the better of me!" He yelled. The buzzing sound stopped as Jamie stood by the plug socket. "Lancelot, you okay? I think that you should let us handle the technology for now." He helped the knight out of the coil of wires. "Thank you young sir. Tell me, does the alchemist require my presence?" Jamie paused and thought. "Doctor Blake said to come wake you, since you're already up, he said to come down when you're ready." Lancelot gave a thankful gesture to Jamie before the teenager left. He then put on his leather trousers and freshly cleaned tunic. 'What sorcery is this, it's clean like nothing else and it smells of flowers.' He thought as he breathed in the scent of the shirt.

He ran into the control room and came to a halt. "Alchemist, you have a quest for me?" He asked looking at the teacher. "Please just call me doctor. This whole project is funded by your descendants. Later today, you'll be escorted to them by the rangers. For now, the team leader will show you around the town, much has changed between now and ancient times, it's best if a teenager tells you about everything that's changed, they know more than an old timer like me. I know you didn't ask for this, but we will help you adjust to your new life." He informed the knight. "I thank you for your hospitality." he gave a short bow.

[in the town]

Emlie was walking beside Lancelot, dwarfing her in comparison. She was telling him about all of the adaptations made to society from ancient times. "And this is the dragon juice bar, closest thing teenagers get to what you would call a tavern." She informed him. "Wait dragon? Stand back and allow me to slay the beast." He ordered. Emlie gave a laugh. "You've gotta stop taking every word literally, it's a metaphorical dragon. Come inside, the owner George is a very nice guy." She said, urging Lancelot to do so. "George you say, hmm… Is this not the same George who slew the dragon?" He questioned. "Nope, it's just pure coincidence that a guy called George has the same name as the saint who slew the dragon. Now that you mention it, it does seem like it was done on purpose…" She pondered for a second before they went inside.

The owned walked up to the booth with the two of them in. "Emile, nice to see you again. Who's the big fella? You two on a date?" He joked. "No! He's my cousin from out of town." She explained, kinda embarrassed that he said that. George was like a father figure to her, she did have a stepdad but she never really connected with him. She never really knew her father either, so george filled the spot of loving father and casual embarraser. "Okay, nice to meet you, what's your name by the way?" He asked at the knight. "His name's Lance, he's kinda shy." Emlie cut in.

After giving them their orders, George left the two alone. "Emlie, I don't appreciate you lying about who I am or what I am." He frowned at her. "Sorry, but not everyone's gonna believe your story, very few even know what's actually going on. Now drink up." Emlie apologised. He took a sip from his glass. "Wow what is this potion? It tastes great!" He enthused. "First of all, it's not a potion, second of all, it's cola. I thought you could do with it." She informed the elated knight. "Come on, let's do something, I've never had a rush like this." He said, jumping up and down on his seat. "Oh, dear, he's got a sugar rush." She said to herself as she ran after the hyperactive knight.

[in shadai's fortress]

Shadai screamed in pain before the wrinkled body of the professor he had possessed fell limp on the floor. Before the eyes of reaper and exodius, a sphere of shadow energy emerged from the corpse before the vessel turned to dust and dispersed. "NOO!" He screamed. "My lord, We have heard back from the one we sent out, sadly that mortal left with their soul theirs again not too long ago. There is a manor, not too far away from the ranger's town. We can trap him there ready for you to possess, then we can use the manor as a new fortress, this one has it's limitations." Reaper told the ethereal Shadai. "And those rangers and that turncoat will not get in our way! I have a titan ready, with a few surprises." Exodius enthused. "Good, retrieve the astrone before we leave to take the manor and the vessel." The weak master said with a light tone.

[on a dirt road]

Lancelot had calmed down now and the rangers were walking down a dirt road, sadly having to leave Tyson's car back due to trespassing issues. Trees lined either side of it. The knight had once again donned his armour and has clutching the hilt of the blade. All of the rangers were could possibly go wrong, right? "This seems like a waste of time." sighed. "I understand, young ranger. It was requested by your mentor, I would listen to him if I were you though." Lancelot attempted to reassure her. "looks like we're here." Percy told them as he saw the roof of the manor.

Running round the corner, each of them were shocked to discover that the gates were blown off and shades infested the area. Leading them was a Large man. His skin was white and he had white hair. His eyes gave a golden shine, he wore an ornate golden chestpiece that only covered the upper part of the torso, leaving the midsection exposed and wore a lower robe descending to his knees and wore golden boots. A large round shield protected his right side, whilst he held a bow in his left hand.

Lancelot walked forward. "Demon! What is thy name?" Lancelot interrogated. "I am a Titan of myth! The infinite light! I am Hyperion!" He announced. "Titan or not, you shall be vanquished!" Lancelot taunted. "Rangers are you with me?" Each of them stood beside him and held out their morphers. "Mythos Ignite!" The five rangers shouted. "Oath of the Paladin, Amulet Power!" Lancelot shouted. Each amulet symbol popped up in front of the five rangers and they morphed. A bright light surrounded Lancelot.

Once emerged, the shadow crusader armour covered him. Then, with a blast of energy, The curse of the armour was lifted. It turned silver, with a black visor. His cape became bright red and repaired itself. "Power of Albion. Mythic knight silver!" He announced. The rangers were in awe. He pulled out a shiny longsword and pointed it at Hyperion. "To Victory!" Lancelot shouted as he led the rangers into a charge against the shades and Hyperion.

[in the manor]

Aaron, his father and Allister were surrounded and on the floor. Guarded by three lowly shades. "Minions, the master approaches!" Commander Exodius called. Each jumped out of the way as the shadow form floated up. "I feel like reaper in a soul store, who to pick?" He contemplated. "The servant is too old, and it seems the master is too weak, but this one is just right. Take the boy." he ordered. The shades grabbed ahold of him and tried pushing him over to the stone. He elbowed one and kneed another, before flipping over the last of them. On the floor, they dispersed. "My my, we have a fighter, I'm sure to be less volatile with you, mortal. Exodius, do the honours.

[outside]

The rangers and mythic knight stood facing Hyperion. Each raising their mythic blades. Emlie's amulet glew as the five received the spirit armour. Tyson knocked the titan to the ground. As he got back up, Lexa sped past him and distracted him while ben snuck up behind and slashed his back. Lancelot parried Hyperion before Percy used his telekinesis to slash the titan with his sword. Hyperion knocked them all away as Emlie came charging and locked his bow with her blade. Using his shield against the rest, he hooked Emlie's leg with the bow and flipped her over, she had enough time to slash his leg before hitting the floor.

The team regrouped and stood side by side, the armour vanished as they put their hands on each other's shoulders. "Let's finish this." Emlie commanded. "Unity" the five shouted as the golden energy beam hit the Titan. "This isn't the end rangers!" He yelled as he was vaporised. The rangers were going to congratulate each other when the earth shook and a burst of fire came from the ground. Ornate golden armour surrounded a giant figure made of fire, a symbol of the sun in the center of the chestplate. "You may have beaten me the first time, but now you will witness the true power of a titan!" It yelled. The titan form of hyperion taller than office buildings and with a burning rage.

The rangers looked hopeless. "What do we do?" Percy asked. "You fight. Long ago, me and my team used the power of the mythic guardians, now you will do the same. Hold your amulets to the sky and chant the words mythic guardians, awaken. They will come. I must put a stop to whatever is going on here, I would help you, but the guardian only responds to the full amulet. Good luck rangers." Lancelot informed them before leaving.

They took their amulets to the sky. "Ready?" Emlie asked. Each giving a nod, they proceeded to chant the words. "Mythic Guardians, Awaken." Each amulet lit up in their respective colour.

In the seas, a large figure moved under the water. It jumped out to reveal a giant robotic blue swordfish.

Thunderclouds rolled overhead as a giant yellow eagle swooped down beside the swordfish.

A robotic pink panther jumped out of a jungle area and joined them.

A black mechanical ape followed on.

Finally, a white wolf ran beside them. Each ranger was transported to their zords.

"This is amazing." Ben said.

"Sure is." Tyson agreed, mesmerized by the sight.

"There's a button in the middle, it has the picture of a robotic figure, I think that's what we need." Lexa told them.

"Let's go for it." Percy agreed.

"Alright rangers, stand by for a megazord." Emlie ordered.

Each pressed the button and the megazord began to take swordfish became the right arm, the eagle became the left, extending its wings into a shield. The ape zord folded up and became the body, attaching to the two arms. Finally the panther zord and the wolf zord folded to become legs. A head with a mouthguard and a greek inspired helmet rose from the top. Finally, it posed as it was complete.

The rangers were stood up with their blade in hand, a small golden spirit seal attached to each mythic blade. "Mythic Guardian Megazord. Awakened!" They all chanted. The room had a stone brick texture to the walls and the floor was covered in fog, each ranger stood on a coloured pedestal.

[inside]

Lancelot kicked down the soot and ran through a shade standing guard. The ceremony was interrupted. "Who dares interfere with? It's you!" Shadai seethed. Lancelot battled through the minions and cut them down. "You two, help the boy down! I'll keep his commander busy." He ordered. He clashed blades with exodius. For the commander of the shades, he was a remarkably weak opponent for Lancelot. Then again, he was the greatest swordsman of his time. He knocked away exodius' blade and saw that they were free, he struck exodius with his hilt before running off with the others.

Running through the halls, a shad grabbed lord Du Lac. "Leave me, keep my son safe from that monster! GO!" He ordered to his ancestor and manservant. Dragging Aaron away screaming to be let go of, Lancelot did just that. "No! We have to go back!" Aaron yelled. "We can't, I'm taking you somewhere safe, I'm sorry about your father but now isn't the time come, quickly, both of you." The knight reasoned.

Back in the megazord, the rangers began getting the hang of it. "Okay, I think it's time for a shield bash!" Tyson enthused as he used his sword to command the arm. Hyperion was badly damaged now as a sword slash was laid upon him. "Let's finish this" Emlie ordered. "Power of legends, spirit strike!" They chanted. A golden glow came from the swordfish and the eagle's wings formed into a blade before glowing too. Crossing them and slashing down, each ranger's colour of energy struck the titan before another one, comprised of each colour hit. "No, this is impossible! A titan cannot fall!" He Shouted as he surged with energy before becoming nothing but flames and exploding before vanishing into nothing. "Myth busted!" They announced as Hyperion was destroyed.

[at the command center]

The rangers walked in triumphant. "Well Done rangers." Doctor Blake congratulated. Jamie and the elderly man clapped along with him and lancelot joined in as he entered the room. "You have earned this victory rangers. Soon you could be stronger than anything shadai sends your way. With this addition to your arsenal, you have gained great strength. I'm proud of each of you." He finished. Lancelot cut in. "There's still the matter of my descendent and the butler. What is to come of them?" He asked. "We will help them, in the meantime, you should connect with the boy. It could greatly help you both out." The Doctor suggested. Lancelot gave a bow before leaving. "Take a break rangers you've earned it. Plus, from what I've been told, it's gonna take some time before shadai hatches a new plan to defeat us."

[at the manor]

Shadai's dark spirit entered lord Du Lac. "Don't fight me. I will get what I want." He told the struggling noble. With a gasp of air, it was all over. He began laughing. "What's happening." Reaper asked with a worried look. "Reaper, my loyal servant.I misjudged him, he's not weak, he's in actual fact strong. Very strong." A dark smile loomed over his face. "Activate the Astrone, soon we shall defeat the rangers with warriors stronger than any other!" He gave off a dark laugh as he finished.

|Mythos|

 **That is chapter 9 done and the broken code arc finished, This chapter started off innocent enough and then got rather dark. There's only one question now. Who is the figure who traded the life of another for their soul. Find out later in the story.**

 **I don't really have too much more to say now other than to tell me how this chapter went and anything else you want to say about the story so far. I'll see you again later this week when martial strike returns.**

 **next chapter: Blood of my Blood**

 **Synopsys: Shadai enjoys the finer things in life as he adjusts to his new body and the manor which he has claimed. The rangers enjoy a day of relaxation in the park and Lancelot tries to connect with Aaron and help him through this time. Finally, Doctor Blake puts Allister to work. All next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	11. Chapter 10: Blood of my Blood

**Ch10: Blood of my Blood**

Aaron was distant the next day, he disconnected from the world as he tried to comprehend what happened. A few days ago he was an ordinary teen, his family was influential and he was told that things would change. Yesterday his life was flipped upside down. His home taken by monsters from a shadow plane, his father possessed by an ancient spirit. Now he sat at a table, his new friends around him along with his teacher, Jamie and the old man. Opposite him sat Lancelot, his ancestor.

In the middle of the table were three objects. The Templar morpher, the blade amulet and the hilt amulet. He looked at it with a confused expression. "What's this mean?" The teen asked. "I am sorry for the loss of your father young one, these amulets were once one. Whilst I can use the hilt to create the armour, I cannot create the blade because it is fragmented. That is why you need to use the blade fragment in this morpher. Because my soul was tainted, I cannot re-bind the fragments and the hilt is connected to me. That is why we need another to use the second fragment. Whilst not being able to morph, you will have a powerful weapon." Lancelot explained.

The boy contemplated it. "I gotta think about this, it's not a simple thing to think about. Just give me time. I've gotta go." He replied before exiting the room. Lancelot turned to the elderly man. "Do you think he'll help?" The old man scratched his chin. "The future is unclear, yet I know that he has a great destiny to come, as the rest of you have. Meeting adjourned." One by one they left the meeting room.

[at du lac manor]

Lord Shadai sat in a lounge chair drinking red wine as his minions set up their new hideout. A shade bowed before him. "Master. The shadow gate is almost ready and the astrone has been placed. Soon we will be able to summon more hardened warriors from the depths of the shadow realm." The docile Lord took a sip from his glass. "Good. Any word on the boy?" He asked. "Yes my lord. He has been taken in by the rangers, for now you will have to use this body. And the one who reclaimed their soul has vanished, we cannot find them and there has been no clue as to where they went." The kneeling shade informed it's master.

Shadai stood up. "That will be all. Now send Exodius in here." His minion rose and scampered away. Commander Exodius stepped into the room. "You called my lord?" He asked. "You failed me once before. Now you have been given another chance. Bring me the boy and don't return until you have him. Leave me now and fulfil your task." Shadai ordered. Exodius gave a bow before leaving. Outside the room, he could be heard ordering shades to prepare for battle.

[in the park]

Aaron sat down on a bench, adjusting his glasses. He looked over to other people in the park, having fun with friend and family, children laughing as they chased each other. He lowered his head and was about to break down when Emlie came up from the side. By the looks of it, she'd been jogging for a while. They were told not to get involved but she couldn't leave a friend in such an emotional state.

She took the seat next to him and put her arm around him. "Hey, you okay?" She asked with a soothing tone. "Yeah, I'm just...just trying to think. Everything's changed and I don't even know who I am anymore. You guys want me to fight evil and that same evil wants to use me as a host. I don't know what's real anymore. At least you had answers when you started this fight. I have no idea what I'm going to do, I just need to be alone right now." He told her, brushing her hand off and edging away. "I know that's not true, everyone needs someone. Even if they're just a friend to hold you together, but if you really want to leave." She rose up as he gave a sigh. "I guess you can stay." He replied. "I knew you'd reconsider." Emlie told him with a smug look.

It was around midday now and they had been chatting for a while. "So essentially, my dad brought us all from the house to this town on the whim of an old man whose name no one seems to know. And that's the whole story up till I met you guys." He informed her. Before she could say anything, civilians ran away screaming as Exodius walked through the park with a group of shades. The both of them noticed and jumped up off of the bench.

Must've been around 10 shades with the commander. Emlie stood in front of Aaron. "What do you want? You'll end up like the others anyway." She demanded. He pointed his sword. "I am Exodius, commander of the shades, second to Lord Shadai himself! Now hand over your friend!" He announced. She stuck her arm out in front of Aaron. "No chance! You're not taking my friend! Aaron, get behind me." She ordered. Instead of doing as she said, he walked beside her and cracked his knuckles. "I'm not gonna stand by. If friend do stick together, then I'll give you a hand." He told her. She gave a nod before reaching behind her.

Emlie pulled out her totem morpher and yelled "Mythos Ignite!" With a flash of light, she morphed. Aaron looked at her. "Okay, now that's a pro of becoming a ranger for sure. Now let's fight." He joked. She gave a nod as she raised her mythic blade towards the shades and their commander. Aaron rammed a shade and proceeded to sweep the feet of another. He rapidly punched the stomach of a third before giving it a swift uppercut to the head and knocking it over.

Emlie lunged at a shade and stabbed another before kicking one in the knee and flipping it to the ground. As she slew another, she was locked in a sword duel with Exodius. Aaron wasn't faring too well anymore. Three shades had him pinned whilst a fourth kicked him in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Letting out a gasp, he fell limp. This distracted Her for a brief second for Exodius to disarm her and slash her across the chest. He fell back and demorphed.

Exodius lowered his blade. "Bring them both, our Lord shall be pleased." He ordered. Before a shade could reach Emlie, is was destroyed by the swift slash of a sword. "Demon! Unhand the boy and face me!" Lancelot demanded. "Fine, let's see what a knight can really do!" Exodius challenged. Lancelot pulled out his sword and uttered a few words. "Oath of the paladin, amulet power." Once again a bright flash covered him in his knight armour. "Let the battle begin." He announced.

He locked blades and pushed against Exodius' sword. He pushed forward and caught the commander off guard before knocking him to the floor. Once he got back up, he charged again, letting out a few slashes which were parried by Lancelot. With a swift strike, he brought down his blade on his opponent's blade. It shattered in two. Exodius was unarmed. Lancelot walked up to the commander to ask for his surrender. He lowered his blade only to be struck with a black and green dagger. Exodius ran away and the shades fled.

Lancelot transformed back as Aaron and Emlie walked up to him. He pulled out the knife and tossed it aside."you okay?" Aaron asked. "Aye boy, Tis but a flesh wound. It will be fine. Are you okay?" He asked in reply. "I'm gonna be okay, and I think I've made up my mind." Aaron told him. "Good to here. So you guys gonna come have a drink? I know a great place." Emlie asked. "Sure!" Aaron told her with a smile. "You two have fun. I have another matter to attend to, now if you'll excuse me, I'll be off." The knight told them before heading off. Emlie grabbed hold of Aaron's arm and dragged him along.

[at du lac manor]

Reaper entered a room and bowed to Shadai who was reading a book. "My lord, Exodius has failed, although he struck Lancelot with the poisoned knife, that was all he accomplished." Reaper told him. "Hmm... Interesting. See to it he is rearmed. Lancelot will fall soon and then no one can protect the boy. See to it that a monster is sent with him to occupy the rangers. That will be all reaper." He ordered. The old man gave a bow before leaving his master.

[at the command center]

Doctor Blake had his feet up as Allister brung in a cup of coffee and a plate of biscuits. Jamie was tapping at his tablet and none of them noticed the knight enter the base and head in the direction of the old man's room. "That'll be all Allister." Doctor Blake told the butler. Allister gave a nod. 'I could get used to this' the teacher thought as he let out a sigh of relief.

Lancelot entered the room with the font. "I knew it was you. All this time and you haven't told them yet. You still have trust issues it seems. So tell me. Why hasn't the all powerful wizard told them yet?" Lancelot inquired. "Because it is not yet time. To reveal myself now would change the events to unfold entirely." He told the knight. He gave a smirk at the old man. "The same excuse as always I see...Merlin...

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that was chapter 10. I can't really say much about it aside from that it gives depth to some characters and the plot thickens as merlin has been revealed to have been the old man all along. I kinda just dived in with this chapter and let out the creativity.**

 **I With that all said, here's to the next chapter, which is gonna be a holiday chapter and I'll see you again in the next release later this week for steam force.**

 **Next chapter: hallowed eve**

 **Synopsis: the spookiest time of the year. If you believe the stories that is. The Halloween dance at school is coming up and there won't be any rest for the wicked. Especially with this new monster. Can everything go smoothly? What other things could happen at such a time? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos**


	12. Chapter 11: Hallowed eve

Ch11: Hallowed Eve

The six teens marvelled at the sight in front of them. After twelve hours straight of sewing, and watching Tyson fail to sew, they saw that the fruits of their labour had finally came. Six costumes for the school's Halloween dance, set up for charity of course, all primed. A skeletal figure, A black knight, A costume of Poseidon, a cat costume, an angelic costume and finally a costume that looked suspiciously like Exodius, complete with jagged teeth. "I think we pulled it off." Ben smirked. "Yeah, we're gonna win this for sure." Percy boasted. "I just hope that nobody mistakes us for Shadai's minions. If that happens I think Halloween will be on hiatus till we sort this problem out." Aaron told the others.

"So now we have our costumes. You guys asked anyone to the dance yet?" Lexa inquired. Each of the four guys shook their heads. "Well you'll have to go without us because we have some." Emlie added. "Sure because Todd the Jock and Ezekiel the ladies man are dependable people to show up and have a good time with. If they do end up being total douches, which I'd bet money on, don't blame us for not saying so." Tyson finished it with that. "If we're done here I'd like to get some sleep. I hate waking up early to do anything." Aaron complained.

[at du lac manor]

Exodius stood before Reaper, it seems that the old man had a smile on his face, gloating at his rival's failure. "So, we stand here at the shadow portal. I am to destroy Lancelot and retrieve the boy. You say that this new monster can help defeat our enemies? Go on." The brute gestured. Reaper clicked his scythe on the floor and the shadow portal opened up. "Now we have the shadow portal active, thanks to the Astrone, we can summon more powerful warriors. In particular the rider known as death." The vortex swirled as a headless figure in a dark long coat emerged from it. From behind, the horseman brandished an axe that glowed bright orange on the tip of the blade. "Interesting. I believe that he shall prove most useful in occupying them. Death, we depart!" He ordered the headless rider. In reply, death crossed both arms before following the commander.

[at the command center]

Lancelot breathed as he awoke from his slumber, heading over to the mirror in the bathroom. Splashing water on his face, he could see his bloodshot eyes. It was odd seeing as he had an early night previously. Slowly he ran his fingers over the scars on his body, most recently the wound he received from Exodius a short time ago. For not being a medical doctor, Doctor Blake did quite a good job of stitching it up, and there was no infection either.

For a second, he felt his heart pound violently in his chest. He almost fell to the ground, thankfully it was a brief moment and he shrugged it off as being part of the wound. Merlin walked in to greet his old friend. "Lancelot, how are you today? He asked politely. "I am well Merlin, aside from the wound of course." He pointed at the stitches. "Anything else?" Merlin contemplated the question for a short time. "I just came to see how you were doing, and no, I won't consider telling the rangers sooner. Just like with Arthur, this is not a thing to lightly speak of." Lancelot sighed. "Arthur was near death before he knew of your nature. When he learned, he said his goodbyes, as did we all. Don't make the same mistake." Merlin nodded, appreciative of the advice.

[at the dragon juice bar]

The five rangers had gone home to prepare for the evening, seeing as Aaron had nowhere to go, he just sat looking through a newspaper, particularly the article detailing the knightly warrior that had emerged to fight with the rangers. He was thinking to himself when a group of teens in his year entered the building. They took up the large booth in the centre of the room,there they began laughing amongst themselves. Aaron, after living in the area for a few weeks recognised them as the self proclaimed kings of the entire year. Amongst them were, Todd and Ezekiel were amongst them of course. "And then I was like sure I'll go to the charity dance, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Todd joked as the others laughed. "She's gonna be sad when I don't turn up but, have you seen her, she's cute but definitely not worth my time." Aaron had a dark expression brewing on his face.

How dare he do that to his friend. 'Tyson was right, they are complete jerks.' He thought to himself. He was about ready to leave when Ezekiel added something. "You do that then Todd, but I'm after some fun, Lexa is gonna be all over me, and if not, I'm sure I can find another girl that wants a piece of the Ez meister." They laughed away. Aaron had enough and walked out of the door.

He was about to run off somewhere when he saw Jamie approaching him. "Aaron! Good, I found you. The doc said you should come back now, he thinks he's figured something out." Aaron had a blank expression across his face. "Come on, he says it's important that you hear this." He finished. The two jogged off towards the command center

[at the command center]

After around an hour the two of them walked through the main doors. When they entered the console room, their mentor greeted them before pulling up a few images. "Good you're here. I figured something out about the amulets. There is a way to reforge one if it is broken, yet in our present situation, we cannot. Not far from here resides a grove, about a day's walk. It hides a henge, in legends it is said that they hold great power and can grant the reconstruction of anything as long as the intention is just, even the healing of people. It is said that this is done by a guardian that protects the grove. Thee problem is that the hilt is bound to your ancestor." He explained.

Lancelot walked through the door. "That is why we need to find a different way to fuse the two halves together." He placed a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Listen, you must stay away from the fight until it is your time." The alarm sounded. Exodius and the rider Death had appeared in the shopping mall, terrorising the shoppers. "I must leave to combat them, contact the others Jamie." Lancelot ordered.

Five minutes later and only three of the rangers had responded. Lexa and Emlie couldn't be contacted. "Aaron, find the other two rangers. Get them in the fight." Doctor Blake ordered. "I'll get ready." He replied. A quick change and he was ready, looking slightly menacing in the imitation of the black knight armour. "They'll be at the Halloween dance fundraiser. I'll get moving." He ran out and hopped into the jeep parked outside. He turned the keys and set off.

[at the mall]

The armoured Lancelot stood beside the three rangers. Surely it would be easy to defeat just two enemies, Exodius and a headless axe wielder. "We shall vanquish the both of you this time, and you shalt not escape my blade either Exodius." Lancelot called. "Think again!" Exodius retorted. He gave a nod to the horseman and the axe lit up with a bright orange colour. The team was surrounded by all of the monsters they had destroyed before. "Impossible!" Ben gasped as he saw them all. "A little taste of what's to come if you will, now off to find the boy. Warriors, keep them occupied." He ordered before disappearing into the shadows.

The team braced themselves as the monsters approached.

[at the school's gym]

For the special occasion, the gym had been decked out with glitter and balloons and every other party decoration imaginable. Bats and skeletons hung from the rafters and spooky songs played in the background. Lexa was off dancing with Ezekiel as Emlie sat bored awaiting her date. Everyone was startled by the menacing and authentic appearance of the black knight. To their relief, Aaron pulled off the helmet and scouted the room, he gave a frown as he found the two girls.

Then he walked over to Emlie who had a sad expression on her face. "Hey, you doing okay?" He asked her softly. She pulled her head up and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He shook his head. "You're sad, and as a friend, I don't want you to be, so what's the matter?" She glanced at the door before facing him again. "It's just Todd hasn't turned up and I'm worried." Aaron started to look angry as he remembered what happened earlier.

As a friend he had to tell her. "He isn't coming, said that this thing, and you, weren't worth the time." Tears fell out of her eyes. "I know it hurts, but he's not worth it. If he can't see how great you are, then he doesn't deserve you. You deserve better and any guy would be lucky to have you. And for the record you look great, maybe you should rub it in a bit instead of crying." She gave him a little gut hug before grabbing ahold of his arm and taking him to the dance floor. "Let's make him a bit jealous shall we." Emlie told him as a new song started playing, she grabbed ahold of him and began to dance, and soon enough, he picked up the moves.

A few meters over, Lexa was dancing with her date. "Hey, Ezekiel, isn't your friend Todd supposed to be here with Emlie?" She asked the uninterested teen. "Umm, what yeah of course." He replied. "Well she isn't anymore, look at her go." He turned his attention towards the two dancing. "Oh, Todd is gonna kill that guy, wait isn't he that Brit that moved here a few weeks ago?" Lexa gave a nod. "Wait till he here's this. This did can't stand it when other guys take his girls." Lexa hung her head to the floor. "Listen I have to go freshen up, be back in a few." She headed to the bathroom door, Ezekiel was tapping away on his phone.

The song finished and the two teens stopped dancing. "Well that was fun, I think I saw Lexa go into the bathroom. I'm gonna see what's up." She told him as he let in a few breaths of air. "You do that. While you're there tell her that she should watch her date, he isn't a nice guy. I'm getting heated up and n this armour, why'd it have to be made of real metal? I'll be getting a drink if you need me." She gave a nod and ran off through the bathroom door.

A few minutes later, he was cooled down and the two girls were walking over to him. "I take it everything is sorted now?" He asked them. Both nodded. "And I'm sorry that your date isn't such a good guy, as soon as you left he started chatting every other girl up." He told Lexa. "It's fine. Can we just go now?" She replied. "Oh, crap. I forgot there's a monster attack, do either of you have your morphers?" Unluckily neither did. "Great. The others will have to get by without us then. Let's get going."

Unfortunately it wasn't that simple, as they made their way to the exit, Todd and his jock friends along with Ezekiel walked over to them. "This is the guy?" He asked. Ezekiel nodded. "You're dead. Nobody gets between me and a girl. She's mine and you didn't keep your distance, that means we have to settle this." Emlie had an angry frown. "I'm nobody's girl and for the record, he's my friend, you better leave now." The jock's face darkened. "Stay out of this, the men have to talk, and you'll just get in the way." Lexa gave an annoyed groan and Emlie crossed her arms. "Hey, listen, if you have a problem with me speak up, leave them out of this and name the place and time we're gonna settle this."

He stared down the brute without flinching. "Next week, after school, at the flagpole." He and his entourage turned and left. "Hey, Aaron, thanks for doing this but, I don't need protection." He shook his head. "You don't get it yet, we're friends, I always help my friends. If some self proclaimed king thinks he can insult one and get away with it, he's got another thing coming. If he can't stand that a trick was played on him, he shouldn't be such an idiot. If he has a problem with me hanging out with one of my friends, then he's gone too far. It's my score to settle now. Let's go." They left and entered the jeep before driving off. 'I wonder how the boy's night went.' Lexa thought as she tried to make sense of the situation.

[at the mall]

No matter how many times they struck down each monster, they just kept coming. Death resurrected them every time they were dispersed into darkness. "I can't keep going!" Ben yelled as he was overwhelmed and demorphed before falling to his knees. Tyson was knocked back into a fountain before he demorphed. Percy and Lancelot were back to back as the defeated monsters closed in. Each hit meant one would disappear yet, the one making them appear would just make them return. An endless cycle and a powerful tactic of attrition.

Percy fell down and demorphed. "Percy! Damn it demon, face me!" There was no response as they kept coming and wearing down the knight. Soon enough he fell too. His armour disappeared and the monsters stood over. They suddenly froze and dispersed into shadow. Death walked up brandishing his war axe. He was about to strike and behead Lancelot when the rider turned to see a cloaked figure. It pointed and motioned towards the figure. The voice of a female emanated from the direction of the figure. "You'll do nicely. Sealing rune!" She called and the room lit up with a bright light. The four got up off of the ground to find that they were the only ones left. The woman, the rider and any other trace of the supernatural were all gone.

Tyson coughed. "What's going on?" Lancelot touched the ground with his hand. "I don't know, but I don't like it."

[at the command center]

The two female Rangers had finished apologising to their mentor and their friends. "At least there was no harm done." He told them. "Now to unlock the mystery of the cloaked woman." He finished. Lancelot got up off of a bench. "I saw a woman, she said something, then a flash of light, then-" He cut off, he couldn't move, he was frozen there. Then he shook violently before collapsing to the floor."what's happening?" Aaron asked in concern. "I don't know, everyone, move back, find the old man, I'll do what I can but I need him here." Doctor Blake ordered. They all scrambled to do as their mentor said. It seemed as if the poisoned dagger was taking its effect.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 11 what a chapter for plot development and character building. Death is based on the headless horseman from the legend of sleepy hollow, except he can raise spirits to fight for him and wear down his opponents of need be. He will be appearing again at another point. As for the mysterious woman, even I don't know who she is yet. That's because I have big plans for her. Plus, Aaron has a bit of trouble on his hands.**

 **That's all for now, I'll be writing up the next martial strike up for the weekend, so look out for that soon, hopefully by then my computer trouble is fixed.**

 **Next chapter: pure of heart**

 **Synopsis: The poison has taken effect and Lancelot is losing time. Aaron heads to the grove with his ancestor in an effort to save him. And a new Titan is released, the rangers must battle this one without the help of the Mythic Knight. Will they defeat this threat? Will Aaron save his ancestor? What purpose does this mysterious woman have? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	13. Chapter 12: Pure of heart

Ch12: Pure of heart

Lancelot laid comatose upon a table. The rangers had been sent home while Merlin, Doctor Blake and Jamie tried to keep him stable. Aaron kept checking in periodically. After about twelve hours, Merlin took a seat by the boy in a seating area, more like a lounge now since more residents had come to the base.

"We have done what we can but he is fading. We cannot do anything more, but you. You can. I have prepared everything you need including a map. It is a special item to guide you there with magic. Good luck Aaron." Merlin told him.

"Thanks I'll be getting ready then." Aaron replied. He walked out the room to get prepared for the journey ahead.

Five minutes later he came down to find a rucksack on the coffee table. He was wearing a grey shirt and black jeans. He had a green high collar jacket over the top of it and changed out his glasses with slim thin framed ones for practicality. He placed his foot up on the table tying the laces on his black combat boot and then changing leg and repeating it on the other one.

He opened the bag and looked through its contents. A few bottles of water. A loaf of bread. A green bottle with some form of liquid inside it. Finally he found something else inside. 'The templar morpher and the blade amulet segment?' He thought. Searching around more, he found a note.

Aaron, we have given you supplies for the journey and a potion to keep Lancelot alive till you reach the grove. We have also given you the templar morpher and the amulet fragment. Lancelot is waiting for you in the control room. Good luck.

[the woods]

Aaron hauled the knight over his shoulder as they walked through the woods. He was beginning to look pale again so Aaron sat Lancelot down on a felled log and slumped his rucksack down beside him. He pulled out the green bottle and held it up to Lancelot's mouth for him to take a sip from. He gave thanks and Aaron pulled out a bottle of water for them to share.

"Hey Lancelot. Can I ask you something?" He asked taking a sip from the bottle and giving it to him.

"Sure, go ahead." He replied giving a sigh of relief.

"What was it like back then? When you were a knight." He asked, holding the blade amulet fragment in his hand.

"It was great for what we had. Life was simple and we protected the realm from darkness. I remember one time when I loved someone very dearly. She was everything to me, alas it was not meant to be. She was betrothed to my liege and I had to come to terms with it. Fighting the forces of evil kept my mind off of it yet I still regretted not doing anything about it. If I could change it I would. Be sure that if you ever fall for someone, you don't keep your true feelings hidden, just saying a few words could've changed my life for the better. Be sure that you never make my mistake. Always make sure that you know what you fight for." He put his hand on Aaron's shoulder.

"I didn't know that the legend happened like that. If you believe that I shouldn't repeat what happened, then I promise you that I won't." He made a promise to the knight.

"That is relieving. I don't want you to end up being a rusty old knight like me. I don't have much to fight for and I'm not longed for this world. If you had the same experience as me, you wouldn't be able to fight what is coming." He told Aaron, shutting his eyes for a minute.

Both of them were startled by the snap of a branch from behind. Shades were moving in in them. Both got up and Aaron retrieved his rucksack before running away. Soon enough they were surrounded. A shade attacked the bag and pulled it away, causing the green bottle to smash. Aaron kicked it back and retrieved the Templar morpher. He inserted the blade fragment into its slot and pressed a button to make the crossguard flip open.

He slashed horizontally, right to left. Then vertically, top to bottom. Creating a cross from red energy.

"Templar power!" He yelled.

He lunged through the center of the cross with the morpher.

"Activate!" He finished.

A blade made of red energy formed, attached to the hilt. Then all of the energy dissipated as a shining longsword was in place of the morpher.

"I'll deal with them. You stay back." He ordered Lancelot.

Aaron slashed down two shades and kicked a third. He then ran that one through with the blade. Next he flipped the the blade a full 360 degrees vertically before running into the thick of it and cutting down more. One by one the shades fell and then he flipped the blade backwards and stabbed a shade that was behind him in the gut. They all disappeared into shadow. Finally the blade disappeared and left the morpher in his hand. He removed the blade fragment and retrieved his rucksack.

Aaron ran over to Lancelot who was leaning on a log, holding his chest.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked a heavily breathing Lancelot.

"It seems we are out of time. The poison has entered my bloodstream. I will die soon. There is nothing you can do now." He told his descendant.

"No. I can't leave you here, not like this. We need to do something. We can make it to the grove." He pleaded.

"I will remain here till my final breath. But you must go on." He coughed up blood. Then he took Aaron's hand and placed the hilt in his hand. "Take my fragment. Unite the two halves. Lead the rangers as I could not. This is my final wish. Now go, they're after both of us but they will stop if they get at least one of us." He finished.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this. I hope that whatever comes after death treats you as the hero you are." He ran off, map in hand.

"As do I young knight, as do I." He closed his eyes.

As the light faded, the young woman in the cloak approached. "Your battle is not yet done knight. My master still has use of you. Even if it is just your body he needs." She said, hauling him over her shoulder and carrying him off.

[the spiritual plane]

Lancelot woke up in a world with bright skies above the clouds. "What is this place?" He asked himself.

"Welcome to the afterlife." an excited voice told him.

King Arthur stood before him. "It is good to see you once more friend. Your soul has finally been redeemed and you can finally move on from the mortal world. Your sacrifice has set events in motion for a new hero to rise. The natural balance is thankful and has redeemed your soul as repayment for your service."

The two old friends clasped hands glad to see each other once more.

[the ancient grove]

Aaron walked through a small rabbit hole resembling entrance. He was met with a mossy henge and many wild plants and woodland animals dotted the scene. By a small pond was a small humanoid creature. She noticed him and fluttered over with her wings. She seemed to be a forest fairy.

"Oh, hello there! You're new! My name is sprite, I'm a woodland fairy. What's your name?" She enthused.

"My name is Aaron, I came here to save a friend but... He sacrificed himself to get me her. He told me you could fix this amulet." He pulled out the two fragments and showed them to her.

"Ooh! I haven't seen one of these since..." She cut off. "Give them here. I know what to do. In the meantime, take a look around, be one with the nature." She urged him.

He handed the two fragments over and had a look around. By the water he saw a white wolf taking a sip from the pond. It finished and walked over to him, sitting down on its hind legs and looking inviting. Aaron felt safe next to the beast and began to pet it. From the look of it he was rather enjoying the experience. Animals of every kind were at harmony here, it was a great sight to see. He wasn't about to let it be destroyed by any dark force.

An hour later Sprite startled him by tapping on his shoulder.

"Gah! What the heck!" He jumped up.

"Oh sorry. I'm not too good at getting people's attention. You don't get too many visitors when you live out here." She handed him the amulet.

"Thank you for your help. Do I need to pay you anything?" He asked.

"Nope! It's completely free! You are saving the world after all." She enthused.

"Thanks for everything, I won't forget it." He thanked once more.

"Your welcome, come back soon!" She exclaimed as he ran off out of the grove.

As she waved, a shadowy figure in a cloak came up behind her and caught the tiny fairy in a jar.

"Hey! Let me out of here!" He flew at the glass with no luck, she crossed her arms and gave a grumpy look at the figure.

"Not a chance little sprite. We have some business to attend to." The young cloaked woman laughed as she exited the grove. Behind her the animals cowered in fear.

[the command center]

The five rangers were assembled in the control room. Wondering what was about to happen. Lexa had gotten bored and was twiddling her thumbs, their mentor had taken away their phones to modify so they wouldn't have a repeat of last time.

"Rangers, Lancelot has passed away." Their mentor told them. "We failed to save him and he died yesterday. Although we have lost a friend, we have gained something new. We managed to fuse the two amulet fragments together and we were able to adjust the Templar morpher so that a new ranger could join us in our fight." He finished.

Two doors slid open and revealed the new power ranger. His suit was primarily grey, it was made to look like a Knight's suit of armour. The boots were white and had a red longsword pattern imprinted on the sides. The same went for the gloves. A larger red longsword pattern with the blade pointing downward was imprinted on the chest. There was a rounded pauldron on either shoulder that stuck out horizontally and had a red stripe going down either pauldron. His helmet was grey too with a red diamond imprint in the top. The visor was a black cross and there was a red vertical strip on either side coming from either side of the cross section of the visor. A small mouthguard rest at the bottom of the helmet underneath the visor. Attached to his belt was the templar morpher without the blade used earlier.

He stepped forward and joined the rangers who were wondering who was in there.

"Rangers, this is the Templar ranger. Carrying the sword amulet, he is the new leader of your team. Now, Templar ranger. Reveal your identity." Doctor Blake ordered.

He released the two latches of his helmet and opened it up. Then he removed the helmet to reveal his face. They all gave a sigh of relief at the familiarity of his face. Aaron stood there in his ranger suit, giving a confident smile.

"Hey guys. Looks like we're gonna be saving the world together." He walked closer and was greeted by handshakes, high fives and a couple of hugs. "It's good to be fighting for something." He told them.

Their moment was cut off by the sound of an alarm going off. "Looks like we've got a new monster to deal with." Aaron said to the others.

"You ready for it?" Doctor Blake asked him.

"It's in my blood!" he replied confidently. He placed his helmet back on his head and ran out of the building. Soon the other rangers followed.

[du lac manor]

Shadai saw the carnage unfold himself and saw the new ranger in action as the six of them destroyed him monster.

"This can not go on." He told himself.

Behind him he heard a woman's laughter. He glanced around the dark room he was in but found nothing. Then he shrugged it off.

'Must've been the wind. But next time, I'm sending a new titan out there to fight them.' He thought to himself as he plotted the downfall of the ranger.

|Mythos|

 **That is chapter 12. I had time on my hands to write today so that's why it's coming out. This was more of just a bonus chapter to close a few stories down and I made a few changes to what I was planning on doing this time around. The mysterious woman is collecting people and supernatural beings for her master who is unknown that also previously controlled the crusader. There's a titan battle on its way and you all got a look of the new ranger, who is technically the red ranger just by a different name.**

 **Thanks for reading, review and tell me how it's going, what you might want to see in future chapters if you want and let's start the second act of the series off with a bang in chapter 13, coming next week.**

 **Next chapter: a ranger's debut**

 **Synopsis: Aaron gets his first real battle as a ranger and morphs to fight the new titan alongside his friends. Can they defeat it? What does the cloaked woman want? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	14. Chapter 13: A ranger's debut

Ch13: A ranger's debut

Morning called and Aaron looked up to the sight of Jamie tapping away on his tablet by the door. He hardly saw him without it. From what he could tell, Jamie had been up all night trying to do something. Lancelot didn't just leave his legacy to his descendants but to those who helped him. It had been almost a week since the mysterious woman showed up and with the passing of Lancelot, he left few leads for them to follow. Jamie finished a few calculations in his head before cursing under his breath.

Aaron rose to his feet and pulled a red t-shirt out of a drawer. "You alright Jamie?" He asked as he unfolded it and pulled it down over his body.

Jamie gave a sigh before turning to the ranger. "Sorry, it's just, I've been looking into his notes and I think I've found a clue to a new power up for you in particular. Yet the way it's written. It seems otherworldly. I need time, but I need to understand something first. Anyway, Doctor Blake wants to see you outside. Says it's time for more combat training." He informed Aaron.

"Good luck with your puzzle Jamie." He said as he left the room.

The intern stood there looking over a file for likely the hundredth time when he noticed a connection. "That's new, how did I not notice that last time?" He asked himself. "Looks like I got a new lead. Now if only I could decipher the rest of the texts." He gave another sigh, walking away in the direction of the control room.

[Sacred Springs High]

Autumn leaves dropped off the trees, which were slowly becoming skeletal as winter drew nearer. Scattering as a tough breeze cut through anyone with too little protection for the elements. Doctor Blake had chosen the early morning just as students began to come into the school as the right time to practice what he called endurance training. Because of this all Aaron was wearing was a grey vest showing an athletic and slightly muscular build, he also who some black shorts, a nightmare in this weather. He was in shape and his teacher had put him through hell this past week, preparing him for a real fight against the forces Shadai commanded, that and his mentor knows that Aaron will be fighting the biggest bully on campus tomorrow.

Aaron was sitting cross legged on the ledge of a fountain just in front of the main building. He was trying his hardest to stay concentrated but his teacher went one step further an ice pack down the back of his vest. What torture was worse than this, the teen didn't wish to know. Soon enough he was shivering badly. To make things even harder, his friends were just arriving. He had to keep clear of distractions if he wanted to endure the pain, and they were probably the biggest distraction of all.

Soon enough the two girls slided along the ledge at either side, then followed by the three guys. When their mentor explained the situation, they pretty much laughed at what torment their new leader was going through. Lexa got up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good luck with that Aaron, I'm sure you'll be freezing to death by the time you're done." She joked and walked off. Being the sociable type, she always had somewhere to be, if not she'd just hang out with the rangers all day.

Ben, Tyson and Percy stood up next. "As much as I'd love to see how much pain you can endure, I have to cram for our test that's in an hour." Ben told the freezing ranger.

Percy followed behind Ben. "And we have to cheat!" Tyson enthused as he patted his leader a little too hard, knocking him back into the fountain. "Woops." Was all he managed to say before having to catch up with the others.

Emlie had a worried look on her face as she pulled him up. "Are you okay?" She asked, her face looked concerned. He looked up at her and gave a smile.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be? I've learned Tyson can be rough but it's fine as long as you aren't a monster." He gave a playful laugh.

She gave a slight smile before turning to her history teacher. "Hey, I think he's had enough for today. Unless you want him to get hypothermia, then you'll agree." He gave a nod of approval to her before leaving. "Sometimes I think he just doesn't care what happens to us." She sighed.

Aaron turned to her. "Everyone's been under a lot of stress lately. We'll be fine." He told her while trying to push himself up. Having failed he resorted to a new tactic. "Hey, mind escorting me to the locker room. I can't get up and I kinda need help opening the door too."

Emlie looked at him for a second. "Does that mean going in there with you too because I've heard horrible stories about the boys changing room." She asked him, he wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

"Just drop me on one of the benches and I can take it from there. I'm only asking because I'm unable to get up and likely open doors, let alone walk all the way there." He pleaded.

"Fine. Just don't get any ideas alright?" She played. He let out a laugh.

"I'm pretty much paralysed right now, if anyone is gonna be taking advantage of anyone, it's gonna be you." He returned the joke.

"Play your cards right and maybe it'll lead somewhere." She flirted. He shook his head with an amused grin before he was lifted up.

Later on, he was wearing dark jeans and the red t shirt from the morning. His hair was slicked back from having a shower in the locker room and he once more wore his thick frame glasses. To the ranger's dismay, Todd was around the corner and up to no good as usual, extorting the computer club with his entourage. Aaron had enough of his tyranny and started towards him. A few of the jock's friends quietened down as he approached. Todd turned to see his new rival.

"Oh look, if it isn't mr. Knight in shining armour, here to save the day again. So what you gonna do? Challenge me? Isn't like we don't have a fight planned or anything but if you want to go now, then let's go." He called up.

"As much as I'd like to right now, I think we should do it where they can't stop it as soon as it starts, same place and time after class?" He asked back.

"Sure. If I win then I get to bully you unconditionally and you don't get to fight back for the remainder of the year." He stated.

"And if I win, you stop bullying altogether." He negotiated.

"Seems fair, you've got yourself a deal." He accepted. Both went their separate ways.

[the flagpole]

The two stood opposite each other waiting to begin, as soon as one of his goons blew a whistle, Todd bolted in and threw a hard swing at the ranger. Aaron was lucky to have good timing and duck under the blow before getting off three punches before jumping back. Todd staggered and shook his head before focusing on the ranger again.

[Du lac manor]

Reaper stood there looking at the titan he had summoned. It was a stone man, 8ft tall with glowing orange eyes. A lava like substance flowed through his veins as he looked at his summoner.

"Reaper. I have not seen you since your lord's defeat at the hands of the guardians and then I was sealed away with our master until you summoned me here. To this place." He greeted the old man.

"My master no longer serves a legend forgotten in the annals of time. Serve Lord Shadai and slay those who possess the amulets. Finish what we started Perces." He persuaded.

The titan nodded. "I accept the task. Not for you, but to avenge the master." He left out, followed by the orcish shades clad in their brutal dark steel armour. Shadai watched from a balcony, a worried look on his face. If the true master were to return, all his eons of isolation to remove him from existence would be for nothing. It it came to pass then he would be destroyed along with the world.

[the park]

Emlie looked at her watch and shook her head as she turned towards the other five. "I don't think he's coming. He ran off somewhere saying he had something to do that wouldn't take long. I tried chasing after him but he lost me." She gave a sigh.

Percy moved over to her. "Cheer up Em, he'll be fine. I'm sure if he needed our help, he would've told us already." He reassured.

[the flagpole]

Aaron failed to duck a punch and was hit square in the jaw. Followed by being kicked in the chest which knocked him back. 'I'm regretting not bringing backup now.' He thought as he prepared to get struck again.

[the park]

Her face brightened up a bit. "I'm sure you're right. Now let's go have some fun!" She enthused, pulling a couple of them up off of the picnic bench. Ironically an explosion came from over on the street, then a car flew up in the air. Seems someone was up to no good.

The five of them ran up to find a group of Shades and Perces wrecking everything in sight. The five of them ran in to fight the Shades. Ben multitasked by calling up his comm while fending off a Shade with some kicks.

"We need backup now. Get a hold of Aaron." He asked. To his relief, Jamie answered.

"Read ya. I'll call him." He replied, from his workstation, he was pulling up different screens and closing down the undeciphered puzzle from earlier.

Ben gave thanks before hooking his leg round a shade and knocking it to the floor. The other members of the team were working well. Lexa vaulted up over Tyson, him giving her a boost, and into the thick of it where she let off a flurry of punches that stunned the minions, meanwhile, Percy and Emlie were sweeping through them and taking them down. Most of them were defeated, yet there were still a few left.

[at the flagpole]

Aaron had dealt significant injury to his opponent, as did his opponent to him. Yet on fatal mistake was made. The distinguishing tone of his morpher going off distracted him as he went to strike a blow. Causing him to completely miss and open himself up. With one swift kick to the ribs, Aaron was down. He held his arm up in response.

"You win Todd. As long as you leave everyone else alone, you can bully me as much as you want." He submitted. He thought it was for the best. It would've ended in a draw and he had an emergency to get to.

Todd gave him another kick in the ribs. "That's what I thought." He turned and left with his goons. Soon after, Aaron got up and pulled out his morpher.

[the street]

Tyson picked up the last of the shades and slung it into a pile of them, which then dispersed into darkness. The Titan Perses started towards them, without warning, he pointed his hand towards them and blasted them with the high pressure liquid that flew through his body. It hit them full on and knocked them all to the ground. He was ready to finish them off as they started to recover. He readied himself once more before being kicked back by a new arrival. The other rangers were relieved to see Aaron standing there, he was battered and bruised but still strong enough to fight.

"Man, you are a sight for sore eyes." Tyson joked, giving him a high five.

"It's a long story. Let's just take this guy down. Ready?" He asked, pulling out the Templar morpher.

"Ready!" The others replied as they too pulled out their Totem morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" The five rangers called, raising their morphers and watching the symbols pop out of the morpher before dissipating, leaving them in their ranger suits.

He flipped open the crossguard on the Templar morpher and raised it up. "Templar Power!" Aaron called, drawing a cross with the energy created. "Activate!" He finished, lunging with the morpher into the cross. The energy faded leaving him morphed with the blade in hand. They stood side by side ready to fight.

"Lets tell him who we are guys!" Aaron told the others.

"Power of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called, raising his blade.

"Power of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Tyson shouldered his blade.

"Power of Babylon! Mythos pink!" Lexa announced while twirling her blade.

"Power of Astral! Mythos Black!" Ben flipped his blade backwards.

"Power of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie called, placing the blade over her chest.

"Power of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron announced. He pointed his longsword at the Titan before them.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" They all called, slashing the air with their blades.

Perses looked on in fear. "The way they used the amulets to create such power. Impossible." He told himself.

Lexa sped in to confuse him and stun him while Tyson ran in to take on the full force of the brute. Once distracted, Ben snuck around and slashed from behind, causing the titan to wail and strike the black ranger. He staggered back but got his focus again. Percy managed to stun him once more by throwing a barrel with his telekinesis. Emlie and Aaron slashed at the monster one last time before regrouping.

Lexa put her hand on Tyson's shoulder, Ben did the same with Percy. Percy placed his hand on Emlie's shoulder and Tyson placed his hand on Aaron's. The two front rangers held their hands out, as did the others with their free hands, and altogether they called forth the power of their amulets. "Unity!" They called as a blast shot form them to the Titan. It was destroyed in a blast of fire as the rangers celebrated. It was short lived as large rocks and lava like substance begin to form the true Titan from the ashes. It looked like a stone golem, animated with lava.

"I think you guys better take him. I'll be rooting for youndown here though." Aaron told them.

"Alright. Let's call our zords!" Emlie ordered, taking command.

The five of them took out their amulets and raised them to the sky. "Mythic guardians, awaken!" They called.

Each proceeded to jump into their animal zords and combine them into the Megazord. The golden seals made of spirit energy formed on their mythic blades as they stood in the control room on their pedestals. "Mythic guardian Megazord. Awakened!" They called.

The eagle shield bashed forward, allowing for the swordfish sword to slash Perses in the chest. It let off a high pressure blast which knocked the Megazord back and damaged it. The wolf foot kicked and bit the Titan, wounding him, before coming back for another strike with the swordfish sword.

"It's time to end this once and for all." Emlie told the others.

"Power of legends. Spirit strike!" They called. The eagle becoming a blade and the two blades glowing. It crossed its arms and struck sending the energy waves at Perses. He surged with energy and exploded. "Myth busted!"

[the school gym]

Tyson and Aaron had just finished a circuit run and were worn out for the most part. They hoped to be quicker in case they had to deal with any more surprise attacks, the other rangers were enjoying the rest of the day to their knowledge.

"Hey, Aaron I know you've had tough times with all the monster attacks and almost freezing to death at one point, so everyone thought it would be a good idea to get away from that." Tyson told him.

"What do you mean, get away?" He asked.

"As rangers, we don't really have any time to have a breather between battles, recently more so. That's why we're going on a camping trip. No technology, no monsters, nothing but wilderness and six ordinary teens for one weekend." He elaborated.

'A weekend in the wilderness, what could possibly go wrong?' Aaron thought, looking at the positives.

From the shadows the cloaked woman watched. Observed. Her eyes glowing green under her hood. 'How could these mortals beat a Titan? Let alone a commander that served under my master? They're weak, I could wipe them out right now.' She pondered. Taking mental notes on the two rangers

|Mythos|

 **That is chapter 13 and it didn't end up how I thought it would when I initially thought of this chapter, then again it never does.**

 **Perses gave a little insight into ancient times by revealing that Shadai isn't the master of all dark forces. And the mysterious young woman is linked to this other master, yet she is more than meets the eye there too. Be sure to tell me what you think and leave a review and I'll see you in Steam Force which will be up soon, which will have a few hints as to what might come soon.**

 **Next chapter: A tale like no other**

 **Synopsis: Out in the wilderness, learning the hardships of life without technology and having really bad tents. Telling ghost stories might be all good fun, yet sometimes they come to be real. Can the team survive the weekend when a nightmare monster comes alive? What other things might happen? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	15. Chapter 14: A tale like no other

Ch14: A tale like no other

A smooth mountain road stretched through forest mountain terrain. Numerous birds flying south as winter neared. Along a stretch of the road was a red sports car that moved seamlessly with the road. About half a mile behind it was Tyson's truck, with a pile of camping equipment in the back. Aaron was at the wheel of the front most vehicle, with Ben in the passenger seat being the self titled navigator to guide them to their destination. As they turned another corner Ben chimed in.

"Okay, slow down now. We're nearly there, just take this dirt road up ahead and we should be there." He told his friend as the brakes were applied to slow down.

The car turned onto the dirt track and was eventually followed by the other vehicle. There was a steep drive up ahead and the sports car had to power up the hill to make it to the top. The pick up truck on the other hand had no problem making it there, even if the ground was soggy with mud. Once up the two cars drove out into a forest clearing and the six rangers disembarked from the vehicles.

It was rather cold out so the group had extra layers on. Ben wore a thick coat and a hat over his usual attire. Tyson wore a long sleeve shirt as the cold didn't affect him too much. Percy had an undershirt with a blue t-shirt over it. Lexa had a knitted cardigan with a long pink scarf wrapped around her neck. Emlie had a rather large wooly jumper that seemed a bit big but covered most areas. Finally, the most noticeable change that Aaron had was that he changed the colour of his jacket to a faded red.

Tyson, Percy and Ben were at the truck unloading the camping gear while the other three were at Aaron's car sorting through supplies and pulling out some foldable camping chairs. A large crash from over by the truck got the three's attention as the camping gear collapsed out of the car after Ben pulled something out that upset the balance of the objects in the truck. The other five laughed as he looked at what he did with embarrassment.

[Castelan Airfield]

A long landing stip was decorated with plane parts and old bomber wreckage. It had been used as a former air base in WWII but was now just a derelict graveyard for old army planes. The pleasant quiet and serenity some would find here was immediately interrupted by a biplane coming in close for landing. The wheels slammed down on the weathered tarmac and the plane came to a halt. The propeller slowed to a halt and out stepped a young man in his twenties sporting a bomber jacket. It was none other than Welkin Stross, ace pilot and suave ladies man, as he called himself.

He pulled out a piece of paper with an address on it before speaking in his strong German accent. "Hmm… It seems that this Blake has a residence in the town. I'd better bring my revolver just in case, Lohan did say that there were monsters here." Putting the address back into his pocket, he turned to his plane and pulled out a rucksack from the cargo area. Then he locked up his plane so that it couldn't be stolen before walking away towards the town and humming a tune.

[Campsite]

It had taken a few hours but the tents were set up. Individual tents in each ranger's colours and one large communal tent for them. They had no means of outside contact now as Aaron had begged any mobile devices and locked them away in the back of his car. They were alone with each other now for the weekend. Or so they thought. From the shadows a figure watched them. The figure stalked through the trees and never left the shade.

Evening was coming fast and the teens were prepping for the night ahead. Aaron headed off on his own to gather wood for a fire while the others pulled out a heavy metal fire pit from the back of the truck. He was walking through the overgrown trail picking up branches left and right as he jumped over felled logs. With the peace and serenity of the forest it was easy to get lost. Yet something was off. Almost like he was being followed.

As he passed a large oak tree, he ducked around the corner ready to ambush whoever was following him. He slowed his breathing as he heard a twig snap under the weight of someone's foot. Then nothing. He emerged from behind the tree to see a girl, about his age, in hiking gear. For some reason he couldn't see any detail about her, not her hair, her face. It was all a blur. He passed by the young woman and had a sense of deja vu about her. Once past her, Aaron looked back only to see that this mystery hiker disappeared once again. Yet for a second he thought he saw two glowing eyes from the darkness of the deep forest. After a pause, he carried on walking back to camp.

[Doctor Blake's House]

The high school teacher was sat eating a bowl of soup in his quaint living room. Then his peaceful Saturday evening in was interrupted by a ring of his doorbell. He placed his feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers and headed to the door. To be greeted by a Suave gentleman with a German accent.

"Hello there sir. You must be Doctor Blake. Pleasure to meet you. I am Welkin Stross and I bring a message from a colleague of yours." He greeted Blake while clutching to the sides of his jacket.

He was met with a puzzled look on Blake's face. "What colleague? The only one I have that is still alive is in retirement." Welkin gave a sigh.

"He told me his name was Lohan. H gave me a few items and a list of things he needs. Along with this letter explaining it all." He Informed, handing the teacher the letter.

Blake gave it a skim over before turning his attention once more to the courier. "Very interesting. I'll give you directions to a building in the woods of the town. Go there tomorrow and we'll begin work immediately. I have some ideas that could work." He replied.

"Great, I'll wait here while you do that and then I can be on my merry way." Welkin agreed.

[Campsite]

Aaron slumped the firewood into a pile on the ground and headed over to the others who were seated around the empty fire pit. He folded his chair out and sat down in the circle.

"Since we have everything set up we need something to do while it gets dark. Any suggestions." Aaron asked the others while he leant back in his seat.

Tyson spoke up. "Well I don't know about you but I'm starved. Everyone else hungry?" As he asked, a few stomachs began to grumble around the circle.

"Seems that answers your question. I'll get something together. You guys just get that fire ready. Looks like the sun is almost down." Aaron ordered the others, heading over to the booth.

[Castelan Airfield]

Stross walked slowly back to the abandoned landing strip as the sun began to drop down below the horizon. He hadn't much on his mind, but that all changed when voices were heard up ahead. He his behind the wreckage of an old bomber as he neared the figures. Peering through a crack in the hull he saw two monsters communing. One a tall orcish warrior. The other an ogre brandishing a large club. Welkin put his ear to the crack and began listening intently.

"Yes sir Commander Exodius. I will stay here and guard this plane. Nothing will get by me." The ogre obeyed. Commander Exodius held an artifact within his hand. As he turned away from the grotesque monster.

"And one more thing. If you find the owner of the plane, bring the mortal back alive. I want a little chat about this artifact aboard his plane. That is all." The commander told his subordinate before vanishing into a puff of black smoke.

'This isn't good. I have to find the place that the Doctor mentioned. I can't take on a monster like that by myself.' Welkin thought to himself as he sneaked away from the scene.

[Campsite]

The sun had now gone down over the horizon and a warm fire burned in the centre of the campsite. There were discarded bowls by the seats of each ranger and marshmallows on sticks in the hands of each ranger. Ben was telling an embarrassing story that happened to his dad on summer vacation when Aaron came back to the group holding a tray with six mugs.

"I made hot chocolate for everyone." He told them as he passed them around. Thanks came from each ranger as he did so. "Well now we're all warm. How about a ghost story. I've been saving this one for the right time." He asked the others. Once he got their agreement he began.

"It was a cold night. The stars were out and no view was obstructed. Just like tonight. Six teens had gone on a camping break for the weekend. They sat around a campfire and shared jokes. Little did they know that something watched them from the shadows. A mythical vampire with a purpose to fill its victims with fear, distrust and to break its victims will before finally taking their life force for itself. It is known as a Strigoi. It stalks its prey with a throaty roar. The first teen to go had separated to find more kindling for the fire. There was screaming for minutes until finally nothing. When the group went to look. All they found was a body, drained of blood and a small puncture mark on the neck. One by one, they all suffered the same fate. Until a lone teenaged boy stood alone and afraid. Then the creature descended to the forest floor. It walked in range of six feet from the boy before ejecting a stinger from its throat. It stabbed into the boy and drained him of his blood. A week later search teams only found discarded hair in the woods and reported several occurrences of the monster, all with different appearances. Thus ends this dark tale." He finished. A few of them looked scared as he turned off the torch he had put under his face for cliche dramatic effect. "Anyone else want to tell a story?" They all shook their heads in reply.

"It's getting late now. I'm think we should kill the fire and get some sleep. It took a while for you to prepare that meal and some of us are still recovering from that story." Emlie suggested.

They all nodded and headed off to their separate tents, not knowing of the woman watching from the shadows. "A Strigoi, you say? I believe I can put the fear into you. That is why I'm here." A sinister smile spread across her face.

She pulled out a rune like the one she used to capture death. However this one had fangs painted onto the rune in a gore red. Under her breath she mumbled something in an ancient tongue and watched as the une lit up with a faint red glow and a creature materialised in front of her. The skin of the beast was pale and veins were prominent on the creature. It had pointed ears and the head was hairless. It had bloodshot eyes and the front most teeth were pointed. It let out a throaty growl and headed off into the forest.

Emlie came out of her tent late into the night, sleep still in her eyes. She walked away from the camp and behind a bush. A few minutes later, she came out from the bush and was walking back on the trail back to camp. Although still half asleep she stopped when she heard the same throaty roar from Aaron's story. She looked around yet no one was there. The Strigoi hung from a tree wanting to drain the young woman. Yet his mistress wouldn't allow it.

Eventually she was back in camp and still freaked out. She walked over to a tent that she believed to be her own and entered it. Once under the covers, she felt a tug from the other end of them. So she tugged harder and managed to get most of the blanket. Then she drifted off i the comfortable sheets. After she was asleep a groan came from the other end of the tent. "Ugh...five more minutes." A male voice said, likely as a natural reaction. Clasping for whatever sheets he could.

[Command Center]

Jamie was tapping away on the central computer in the control room, close to figuring out the next piece of the puzzle that Lancelot had left him. Then an alert came from the door. There stood Welkin Stross waiting patiently. Jamie hurried to the door and let him in before taking into the control room. Jamie then took out a briefcase from a side room.

"The Doc said someone like you'd be coming by. He had me working nonstop on this. He says that it's a way to repay his old colleague for all the work they did. He also said he gave it a propeller design just to mock lohan and his fixation on steam and Vicdon." Jamie informed him, handing over the case.

"Thank you. Now I can head back there and get paid. Well it has been nice meeting you and give your boss my regards. I hope we meet again soon." Welkin headed out the door and left Jamie alone in the chamber again. To which he sat down and continued on deciphering the rest of the texts, which was such a tedious job.

[Castelan Airfield]

Welkin stopped in his tracks as he neared his plane. There stood the ogre, and this time he noticed the man. Welkin stood his ground as the ogre pounded it with his club.

"Oi you! I'm gonna smash you up!" He screamed and stomped towards the pilot.

Welkin took a deep breath. "Only one way I'm getting out of this. Guess I'll have to use that morpher. Sorry Lohan, but it's mine now." He said to himself as he opened the briefcase and pulled out the morpher.

It was a wrist brace which he quickly strapped on. It had a sleek appearance with the radial piston design of a propeller plane. He clicked down on the piston and held his arm up. "Ready for takeoff!" He yelled as the ogre closed the gap. He was encased in a bright white light. When it faded. There stood a new power ranger.

He wore a silver suit with black pants. Black arrows pointing upward were along the arms. The radial morpher resting on his right arm. On his chest was a propeller emblem. He had a belt around his waist with the same radial design as the morpher. Attached to the back of each of his arms were blade-wings that could be used in close quarters. The helmet's visor was a black V shape and the mouthguard was vent like. On either side of the helmet were two upright wings with aerodynamic positioning. There was a holster attached to the belt, in it was a revolver with two pipes pointing out from the back. When Stross pulled it out, it had two thin wings pointing out from the sides and the handle was designed to look like an eagle's wing.

Welkin examined his new ranger suit. "This is great! I can't wait to try this out. Speaking of which." He sped forward towards the ogre with his vambrace blades ready to strike.

[Campsite]

Morning had come and the rangers had begun to awake. Aaron opened his eyes slowly and it had taken a moment to adjust to the light. Requiring glasses, he didn't see exactly what was holding onto him but he definitely felt something clung onto him. He reached around aimlessly for his specs while struggling to free himself from the grip of whatever had hold of him. Then he found his glasses and placed them on his face. Just realising that it wasn't what but who was holding onto him. "Oh dear." He sighed as he looked at a sleeping Emlie still clung to his arm. "How the hell did this happen?" He asked himself.

Just then she started to open her eyes. To see the other ranger staring up at her. When she saw the situation they were in, she jumped awake. "Aaron! What're you doing here?" She asked with an embarrassed look on her face.

"It's my tent. I was sleeping here all night. You must've wandered in here last night." He told her.

"I got up and went into the woods. Then I came back and got into the tent. I then pulled most of the covers to me. So that means that you were sleeping in this tent." She realised the mistake she made.

"Then at some point you decided to latch onto me for whatever reason. You sure that you're not doing any of this on purpose?" He asked her.

"No. That's crazy why would I do that. Even if I did know that this is your tent." Emlie denied.

"There's one more thing. You've still got hold of my arm. I can't leave until you let go." Aaron explained. She blushed and released it quickly.

"Problem solved. Now I am gonna get out of here and you can wait a bit before getting up." She popped her head out to see if anyone was watching. When it was clear, she made a dash for her own tent.

"Next time I'm putting a lock on this tent." He said to himself.

[Castelan Airfield]

The ogre swung his club at Stross only for the new ranger to duck under it and use his new air slashers on his wrists to cut through the side of the monster. Welkin slid along the concrete and turned to face the ogre.

"It's time for you to face my Sky Striker Pistol!" Welkin announced, pulling the steampunk revolver from its holster. He took aim at the ogre and fired two rounds into the beast. It caught fire and staggered back. "Didn't like that did you? Time to end you, monster!" He took aim once again and held onto the revolver with both hands. "Sky strike overcharge!" He yelled and he squeezed the trigger. Then the weapon unloaded it's energy into the ogre. Welkin turned around as the monster surged with energy. He placed the pistol back in its holster as the ogre exploded behind him. Welkin took a sigh of release before demorphing. "I am definitely keeping this." He joked as he walked to his plane, ready to set off once more to Vicdon.

[Campsite]

It was the middle of the morning and breakfast was being served out. Aaron flipped up a pancake from the small grill he had brought and tossed it on the plate in his hand. As he did, he thought he saw glowing red eyes off in the distance.

'Hmm that's weird…' He thought to himself as he carried his plate over to where the others were. "How's the food guys?" He asked taking his seat about to tuck into his own.

"These are so good. I want more. Gimme more!" Lexa complimented. Then she dug her cutlery into his pancakes and swiped them off of his plate and onto hers. She gave a cheeky grin as she devoured the last of them.

"Ah come on!" Aaron complained as his stomach growled. "I made enough for us all and you just had to steal them. Next time I'm bringing extra." He decided as the others laughed at him.

"Take it as a compliment. Also a warning that if you do cook again. Watch out for her stealing food. She does it regularly." Percy warned.

"I'm still hungry though. I'm gonna see if there's any berries or fruit around here. Food is food and someone stole the rest of the food last night. I'll be back soon." He told the others as he got up off of his seat and headed down the trail.

Eventually he came to a tall apple tree. Aaron reached up and pulled at a branch to pick one off of the tree. Once he got back down onto the ground, he heard a thud from behind. Almost like someone jumped down to the forest floor. The teen turned around and saw the bald, pointy eared creature staring at him.

"The Strigoi. He's real!" Aaron gasped as he backed off from the creature who began walking towards him. He fumbled through his pockets attempting to find something to use against the beast. Then finding a small metal object he pulled it out to reveal itself as the sword amulet. He held it out hoping it would do something to repel the beast. "Templar Power!" He called as a red blast shot out from the amulet and struck the Strigoi who shrieked in pain. It then ran off to recover from the damage.

After a few minutes, Aaron got back to camp and headed to his car where he searched through the previously locked trunk of his car. Then pulling out his morpher and locking the trunk again. The other's looked on as he stepped out into the centre of the camp. Emlie walked up to him.

"What're you doing, is something wrong?" She asked as he turned to face her with his morpher in hand.

"The Strigoi it's real. I saw it, we have to destroy it." He explained. She gave him a skeptical look in reply.

"You sure? You said it was just a story yourself, don't tell me you actually believe it." Emlie told him.

"Move, now." He ordered. She gave a shrug in confusion. "Move!" He Grabbed ahold of her and dove to the side as the stinger lunged forward.

The other rangers were frozen with fear. Aaron stood up and called upon the Templar blade. He charged forward as the monster struck once more by extending the stinger from its throat. Aaron ducked and tackled the monster to the ground as it retracted the stinger. He stood up once more and stabbed down with his blade into the chest of the Strigoi. It let out a bellowing shriek as it began to glow bright red before incinerating and turning to ash. The others gave a sigh of relief as the monster was finally gone.

[1 day later]

The rangers were packing up their camping equipment and were just about done. All that was left was a few supplies before heading back off. Aaron was waiting by his car when Emlie approached him.

"Everything okay?" He asked as she closed the gap between them.

"Yeah. I just wanted to thank you for saving me yesterday. I also wanted to say sorry for doubting you. It seemed silly at the time but I understand now. So, mind me riding with you on the way back? I'd feel safer and I think I'll be better company than Ben was." She joked, playing with her hair.

"Sure. If everyone's ready get back. Shadai's forces won't stop trying to take over the world because we're away. Hopefully he didn't attack while we weren't there to defend." He finished. Opening the door to his car and entering it. 'This weekend was an odd one for sure. But now I wonder if all those old stories are true. I hope not, the earliest ones didn't have a happy ending.' He thought to himself as he turned the key and his vehicle roared to life.

Both vehicles sped off and the hooded figure stepped out from the shadows. "Believe me rangers. This is just the beginning, soon enough you will witness the power of true evil!" She spoke in the emptiness, giving out a maniacal laugh as she finished. Once her laughing stopped, she dissipated into green energy before vanishing altogether.

|Mythos|

 **That is a wrap on chapter 14. This was a difficult chapter to write. I kept having to check back through different things to make sure everything was right. Like all of Stross' actions and morph etc. He'll be heading back to Steam Force and though he seems powerful now. I have my reasons for it. The vampire/Strigoi is based off of the romanian myth and the book/tv series, the strain. So I'll see you later in the week for the next edition of martial strike.**

 **Next Chapter: Merry Krampus**

 **Synopsis: Christmas is just about here and the rangers enjoy the seasonal event. But things go awry when Shadai sends a Santa impersonator to take all of the cheer from the town, perhaps even from the rangers themselves. Will they be able to stop him in time for the celebratory day? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	16. Chapter 15: Merry Krampus

Ch15: Merry Krampus

Cold winter air blew through the town and freshly fallen snow covered the ground. There were only a few days till Christmas now and everyone was partaking in the festive season. The six rangers were out in the park enjoying the day, and it seemed as if a snowball fight had broken out.

Aaron, Percy and Ben had built a small fort to shield them while they made more ammunition while on the other side, Emlie, Lexa and Tyson were letting out a nonstop barrage upon their friends.

"I don't know how much longer we can last. Ben do you wanna help me out with something?" Aaron asked as he ducked for cover.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, intrigued by the offer.

"Use your amulet to go invisible or whatever it is you do and then sneak up behind them before pelting them with snowballs. Imagine the look on their faces!" He elaborated.

"That does sound like fun. Count me in!" Ben enthused before vanishing using his amulet power. Only his footsteps were traceable in the snow.

Over on the other side, Lexa had stopped throwing snowballs and looked at the footsteps coming towards them. "Oh no you don't." She said as she used her own amulet power.

She dashed forward and knocked Ben off of his feet, sending him out of his cloaked state. The group shared a laugh at the misfortune of their friend. Then they put down the snowballs and regrouped. Ben was rubbing his back from where he had landed.

"I thought something good would happen but that was even better than anything I could've thought of." Percy joked as the others were still laughing away.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm cold. Wanna head inside?" Emlie asked the others as she rubbed her hands together underneath a pair of white gloves.

Everyone nodded and they entered a small coffee shop on the corner of the street just outside the park. They sat at a large booth and waited for Tyson and Aaron to come back with their drinks. A minute or two later and the two brought back the set of drinks, in to-go cups.

"Okay, we have six hot chocolates here. Take your pick. And there is one cup of tea for me later. It takes a while to cool down. Enough time to drink the hot chocolate before I enjoy the tea." Aaron told them as they set the drinks down and each grabbed a cup. "So. What's everyone's plans for Christmas?" He asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Me Tyson and Ben usually spend Christmas together. Our families are really close and we have a large feast each year." Percy told him.

"I have relatives in Boston. Well, my grandparents to be exact. I'll be spending Christmas with them this year." Lexa said, finishing her hot chocolate.

"I guess that my family just goes through the same normal family Christmas that everyone else does. It might be different this year seeing as I don't resent my mom anymore. What about you?" She asked in return.

Aaron lowered his head. He had no plans. His only know family had been taken from him by Shadai. He honestly didn't know what to do. Thinking back to the day where everything had changed. He had to fight back the pain and the anger. Eventually he managed to bring his head up.

"I don't have any plans. I was hoping that I could spend it defeating one of Shadai's minions or helping out Jamie with the translation problem." He told the others.

"Don't be like that. Listen, I don't want you to be alone on Christmas. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I'll talk it out with my parents and see if they'd be open to let you stay with us for Christmas." Emlie told him, giving him a caring smile.

"Thanks." he said. Managing to return a smile. Aaron finished off his hot chocolate and put his hand out to grab his cup of tea, only for it not to be there. "We're my tea go-" the ranger paused as he looked over at one of his friends. "Lexa!" He shouted. She was sat there sipping his tea. With another cheeky grin on her face.

"What? I'm thirsty!" She said, sticking her tongue out at him. The others laughed as steam began to come out of his ears, figuratively.

[du lac manor]

Lord Shadai stood over a table which had the artefact stolen from Welkin's plane on it. He studied the intricate carving of the ancient metal. It appeared to have a sort of mechanism to it. Yet Shadai was cautious and didn't want to risk death by using the artefact.

"Lock it away Exodius. It is a dangerous relic of unknown purpose. Until we understand it. I don't want this to be the cause of my untimely demise. And one other thing. Tell reaper to summon a creature from the shadowgate. One that punishes the naughty. One that sucks the Christmas cheer from these mortals. I hate this time of year. From what knowledge this mortal possesses,it is a holiday that is a mockery of one of our most ancient festivals. The ascendance hour." He ordered the orcish shade commander.

Commander Exodius clutched the item in his hand and walked off to a vault within the basement of the manor. "This artefact. It is strange, like I have seen it before. Hmm… Could it be?" He said to himself as he tried to remember events from eons ago. He placed it down in the vault and locked it away. "Not possible. It was lost long before the war even started. To think that there was a chance that the lost guardian was found, after so long." He trailed off.

Exodius headed into the room they had now repurposed for the shadowgate. Reaper rose from a kneeling position as the warrior entered and then faced the commander.

"Exodius, is there anything that I can do for you?" He asked as he struck the floor with his scythe.

"Yes. Our Lord demands that we summit n a creature of great evil. One to drain the cheer from these mortals and punish those who have darkness in their hearts." He explained.

"Ah, yes. One moment." He turned and wove his scythe over the portal, making it open up and swirl with dark energy.

Out Stepped a large creature, standing at eight feet tall. It had hooves for feet, glowing yellow eyes and large horns pointing upwards. He seemed to be Oxen in appearance yet had large clawed hands and carried a sack with him.

"Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Krampus!" He introduced himself, toying with the well known phrase.

[Command Centre]

Jamie was looking over some more data Lancelot had left, this time also looking over old arthurian legends too. Then he spotted something. He tapped away at his keyboard and made a connection.

"No. That can't be right. The legend says differently, how is this possible. She can't be still alive after all this time. A sorceress as powerful as her. I shouldn't dwell on it. Let's see what other surprises you left behind, Lancelot." He said to himself as he flicked through a few more files. Finally landing on one showing a titanic knight with words in the same archaic language as the rest of the pages.

[Shopping mall]

On the second floor of the christmas themed mall, kids lined up before a large gingerbread house and christmas tree. A mall worker in an elf costume as the young children jumped up and down chanting the name santa over and over.

"Alright kids, Santa is just on his way out so we'll be with you shortly." The worker said to the kids who gave out an enthusiastic chorus of yays in response.

"Ho, Ho, Ho!" Came a noise from the backstage. The children began to applaud. "Ho, Ho, Ho!" It came again, this time closer. A figure emerged from the house. "Ho, Ho,Ho!"

The figure let out, this time it sounded more sinister. As the figure emerged, the children's jaws dropped in terror. "Merry Krampus everyone!" Krampus let out before a dark look came across his face. "Now then. Who's been naughty and who's been naughtier?" he asked as fear filled the eyes of the children. "No answer? Hmm, that's a little rude. Shades! Let's get rid of all of this Christmas cheer." he ordered as a band of shades emerged from where he came from and began rounding up the children.

As he did so, a larger group of them, around forty shades, invaded the rest of the mall and held the civilians hostage. In the arcade were a certain group of individuals that had a grudge against a particular ranger. Todd and his group of friends cowered behind a counter as a group of shades scoured the area.

[Coffee shop]

the rangers have just finished up inside the shop and were preparing to head out when their morphers beeped. Aaron picked his up and spoke into it.

"Something up?" he asked. The other rangers heard unintelligible murmurs from the device. "Really? Again? Sure, we're on our way." He turned off the comm and turned to the other rangers. "Well guys, we had plans to build a snowman, now we have plans to stop a monster who is holding the mall hostage."

The other rangers gave sighs before following their leader to an alleyway where they morphed into their ranger suits. Once morphed they made their way to the mall.

[Shopping mall]

A group of children sat on the floor in tears. They were surrounded by Shades who watched them closely. Krampus had his clawed hand grasped onto the head of a young boy as purple energy surrounded his hand. The energy then died down and the child fell to the floor and began to cry like the rest of the children.

"Shades! remove this whelp. I have no use for him now." Krampus ordered, turning his attention to the arcade. "I still hunger. I sense a potent source of evil to feed off. Soon it shall be mine." He walked towards the arcade as a group of Shades accompanied him.

Meanwhile by the doors to the mall, a group of shades were slammed back by the blades of the Mythos rangers. The six of them slashed through the ten shades in the promenade, effectively clearing the floor.

"How are we gonna go about this?" Ben asked as he pointed to the other groups of shades dotted around.

"I say we split up. They're in groups of five. We should be able to take them. And be on the lookout for a monster." Aaron told them as they went their separate ways to deal with the minions.

Lexa, Tyson and Percy heading to stores on the first floor while the other three went to the second floor. Ben, heading over to a department store, while Aaron headed over to deal with the shades at the christmas setup. Emlie, saw the shades guarding the arcade and raced over, slashing the two sentries as she entered the room.

Aaron pulled out his blade and ran a shade through from behind, he then proceeded to kick the next one to the ground before stabbing it in the chest. Finally kick-flipping a third before the last two ran off with broken morale.

"Oh no you don't." He said to himself as he ran after the two. They eventually made their stand at the arcade entrance, close to their master.

Emlie cut down the last three shades inside the arcade. Then she spotted the new monster. It had a hold of Todd's head and was draining the energy out of him. As the purple aura dispersed, he dropped to the floor crying, just like the children had. She raised her blade and approached Krampus.

"What are you?" She asked as she kept cautious, circling the cattle like creature.

"Me? I am Krampus! I take all of the cheer out of these naughty humans, and you ranger. You've been especially naughty." A malevolent grin came across his face.

From behind, he pulled out a whip, which emanated dark energy. Emlie raised her sword to a defensive position as the monster threw back his arm before throwing it forward again and sending the whip at her. She managed to block the whip yet it became tangled around her weapon. Slowly the darkness infected the blade before shattering it. Defenceless, Emlie tried to think of a way out. Before she could, Krampus slung the whip again, this time, it coiled around her ranger suit. Infecting it once again with darkness, it shattered the ranger suit and caused Emlie to demorph and drop to her knees. Her opponent then approached.

"Lord Shadai will be pleased with my work once I drain you, little ranger." Krampus told her, overconfident with himself.

He placed his hand upon her head as she was helpless trapped by the shadow whip. The chaotic energy began to pulse as he began draining the energy from her. She weakened as the power of the whip and Krampus wore her down. From behind her, an aggressive yell came from behind her and a figure dashed forward.

The templar ranger charged forward and clashed with Krampus. Getting back up, he produced a cane in which to fight Aaron with. The young ranger charged forward, slashing sideways with his blade and clashing with the cane. Aaron then repeatedly slammed his sword against the cane.

"Grrr! You'll! Pay! For! Messing! With! My! Friend!" He yelled, pausing to swing at the monster.

Finally the cane broke and with one last sawing, Aaron beheaded the monster with a brutal swing of his longsword. The deceased creature decayed into shadow as Aaron demorphed and knelt by his fallen ally. She was currently unconscious but Aaron held her in his arms and prepared to lift her up then the other four rangers came through the entrance. Once they saw Emlie on the floor, they hurried over.

"What happened?" Lexa asked, kneeling down beside the two.

"She tried to fight the monster alone, it got the upperhand and beat her. I arrived just in time to defeat it." He explained. Tyson gave a sigh of relief.

"It's good news that you did. But how did you beat it alone?" Percy asked, scratching his head.

"I can't quite say. Maybe it was a blend of rage and concern for the life of someone I care about." He told them

As he finished his sentence, Emlie's eyes slowly opened. The others hadn't noticed and she was looking around wondering why they were all gathered around her.

"Umm, guys?" She asked. Immediately their attention turned to her. "What's going on?"

"You had a close call with Krampus. He's gone now, and he can't hurt anyone else. Are you okay then?" Aaron told her.

"I'll be fine, and I saw that you charged in to stop him just before I blacked out, so I'm thankful for that." She gave a smile.

"If I had to do these dangerous heroics again, I most certainly would. And we still have daylight left. Who wants to go make that snowman now?" Aaron suggested to the others who gave smirks and nods. "Great, let's get to it.

[Du lac manor]

Exodius made his way to the vault, admiring his surroundings as he did. Turning the corner, he saw a Shade belt past him in pain, a second look showed that the shade was on fire.

"This is not good." He said to himself as he ran to the vault.

Once there, he drew his sword as he saw the Shade bodies in the hallway and the vault door torn open. he entered to see the cloaked woman holding something. He pointed his blade at her back.

"Explain yourself." He said before something began choking him. He grasped at whatever was doing it, yet there was nothing there.

"I will not explain myself to the likes of you, monster. I am of a higher purpose than you. If you persist to pursue me, I shall kill you. Yet I sense as if I need not end you. However, this artefact is something which belongs to me, this vessel anyway, yet that means it is mine for the keeping. I spare you to fight another day, even if they are numbered." She said as her eyes glowed green under her hood. Abruptly they dimmed down and Exodius was released of his suffering. "I depart now creature, and remember my warning, Don not follow me." Her eyes lit up in green again and she pointed her head to the floor. "Deimos" Was the last word she uttered as she disappeared into a cloud of energy, leaving Exodius to explain what had just happened.

[Snowy hill]

The sun was halfway under the horizon and snow fell from the sky. The six rangers walked down from the hill leaving a snowy figure upon the hill. In the time they had spent, they had managed to recreate Lancelot with the snow. Standing ever vigilant over Castelan and watching over the rangers, even in death.

|Mythos|

 **That is chapter 15 over and done with. It showed some interesting things and had some good interaction between the rangers in my opinion. And the story is really heating up now, in it's own odd pace of course. The hooded woman stole the artefact and told Exodius that he doesn't have long left to live. And there was a development with the texts Jamie has, what that is though, you'll have to wait and see. Before I leave you with the synopsis, fun fact. This chapter was released on the 6th of december, or Krampuskarten, a germanic holiday which the creature Krampus originates from and what this chapter is based off. That's all for now. I'll see you all next week.**

 **Next Chapter: Christmas with the Lanes**

 **Synopsis: While Shadai deals with trouble on the homefront, the rangers go their separate ways for the holidays. Aaron being alone for christmas, Emlie insisted that he join her family for the holiday. What could happen at this time, will everything go smoothly? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	17. Chapter 16: Christmas with the Lanes

Ch16: Christmas with the Lanes

The winter sun was dim behind the fleet of clouds as families made last minute runs for supplies before christmas day. In the Lane household it was no different. Her mother had put down her career for the season and her father was around the house more, even though he was on standby to return to his job at a moment's notice. As the two parents raced around the house getting everything ready, Emlie sat staring at her phone. When she got a call from a familiar number.

"Hello?" She asked, putting it up to her ear.

"Hey there sis." A voice answered back.

"Oh hey, Lucas. Didn't expect to hear from you." Emlie replied to her brother.

"Yeah, well me and Sarah managed to get out of the city for our winter visit before all the snow came down. I know it isn't the best idea since all of the roads are covered in snow now so we can't really get back. But we missed being at home. I've already told Mom and Dad and just decided to tell you. We're just in town now. We'll see you in a few hours." He explained.

"Oh, wow. I didn't expect to see you. Well, I'll see you both later then, see ya." She finished and hung up.

"No wonder my parents are running all over the place, I haven't seen Lucas and Sarah for about a year. Wonder how they've been?" She asked herself as she sat there by herself. Then came a knocking at the door.

[Du Lac Manor]

Shadai loomed over the ruined vault, shades stood back to not incur his wrath. Reaper examined the scorch marks upon the floor where the hooded young woman had once stood. While Exodius ran through what she said to him the previous day. Reaper arose from the ground as he noticed something.

"It seems that there are runes burned into the floor by some kind of arcane fire. The power displayed here though. I knew only of one sorceress with such power, yet her soul was destroyed, sending her far beyond any accessible plane of existence. Yet her teachings could have lived on. Perhaps a new sorceress seeks the ancient power of the seven people's." Reaper suggested.

"If so then stealing the guardian artefact is just the beginning. We must be on our guard." Exodius added.

"I see. Yet so as long as this is the last time that she interferes with us, we need not concern ourselves. Dismissed." Shadai ordered to his minions.

One by one, each left their leader to his solitude. Reaper headed back to the shadowgate room where he knelt as the portal opened. He rose his head as a dark whisper came from the portal.

"My lord, you humble me with your presence. No my lord, the fool doesn't suspect a thing, and with your sorceress' help, soon shall he fall and you will awaken. The events have been set in motion and soon one dark lord shall fall so that another may rise." Reaper told the whisper in the portal, letting out a soft and evil laugh as he finished.

[Lane Household]

Emlie stood up and went to the door as her parents moved some items upstairs. When she did, she saw a rather nervous expression on a usually fearless face. Aaron stood there, holding onto his rucksack, looking more tense than she had ever seen him.

"Something up?" She asked him as he stood there.

"I have social problems when meeting new people, especially the parents of friends." He told her.

"Really? You're usually fine with things like that." She says, skeptical of his behaviour.

"Usually it's because I'm dealing with a life threatening monster and my mind is more focused. Since we haven't dealt with one for a while, I've kinda gone back to being my insecure self." Aaron explained to her.

"I highly doubt there's anything to be nervous about, I mean my mom is a nosy reporter and my dad is a cop so you won't be catching a break for a while, but it'll be fine." She told him in an attempt to reassure him.

"You're not helping. Okay, if you want a better excuse how about this. I'm a textbook vampire and I need permission to enter the household, not promising I won't drink your blood though." He joked, making her smirk a little.

"That's more like the Aaron I know, now come in, as long as you promise you won't bite." She retorted.

"Bit harsh but okay." Aaron agreed as they both entered the house.

Aaron sat down as Emlie went into the kitchen. He slumped his bag on the floor and took off his jacket. Underneath was a red knitted sweater. Emlie came back into the room and took a seat beside him.

"Nice sweater." She complimented.

"Thanks my nan made it." He told her.

"Well you're nan seems to have done a good job" Emlie admired once more. "Say, can I ask you something?" She asked, just before getting interrupted by the sound of her parents asking who she was talking to. "I'll be right back. She told him before walking to her parents.

They had a hushed mumbling discussion that was just quiet enough for Aaron not to be able to hear it. He did hear the odd tone change and saw hands waving around all over the place despite this. Then his friend came over to him.

"Most of that you didn't want to hear. But the good news is they know who you are and aren't in any danger. The bad news is, as was their original intention. You're gonna be stuck talking to them for a while. Good luck, Tyson and Ben didn't make it past five minutes before they broke them." She joked, waving and going up the stairs.

"Wait, you're leaving me to be interrogated by your parents!? I somewhat regret agreeing to this." He sighed as they took seats opposite him.

"So, tell me about yourself." Mrs. Lane ordered the boy.

"Um, well, you asked for it." He said as he began to recall anything they needed to know.

[Command Centre]

Jamie sat working once again on the texts left to him, he was on the verge of a breakthrough with it, yet one thing was holding him back. He had managed to get three numbers relating to this "iron golem" that the texts referenced, yet he couldn't work out what they were for. He had inputted them into every database he knew and even converted the numbers into letters using a complex algorithm but still no luck.

"I can't do it. Every time I've tried, I failed. What's the use. The texts detail a quest or a journey to retrieve this weapon, yet these numbers are the only clue on how to find it." As he cleared up the files that were tossed across his desk, he saw the map used to find the grove. Upon it were three similar numbers. "Wait, that's it, they're not codes or some sort of cryptic cipher, they're map coordinates." Jamie quickly pulled up a map of the area along with a few programs to calculate things. "Lancelot, you sneaky knight." He said as the map singled in on the abandoned castle where the shadow crusader had been defeated.

[Lane Household]

"Well then Aaron, you've told us a lot about you and we'd enjoy having you here. Thing is, Our older children are coming here for the weekend and we're kinda behind with everything. Unless you're some kind of superhero-chef then we really can't take anyone else in." Mr. Lane told him

A wide grin came across his face. "That's exactly what I am. Come on, I'll show you." He got up and walked into the kitchen, where he started pulling out all sorts of cutlery and ingredients. "You see, the thing to do here is to essentially leave the kitchen alone while I work. You guys just work on getting everything else ready, I'll have this meal ready soon, along with some other things for tomorrow." He began working as the two Lanes stood there amazed.

Emlie came down to see how things were progressing and when she saw what was going on, she let out a chuckle. "Didn't take him long to start cooking did it? Don't worry, you're in for a treat, just don't get in his way that's all." She told her parents.

Once they had processed this, they began to get back to sorting everything out, while Emlie lounged around and watched tv. Aaron was watching from the kitchen.

"Don't you think you should be helping out?" He asked as he whisked something in a bowl.

"Nah, I'm good." She told him, he gave a sigh in reply.

"How about you pass that bag of flour over to me. I need to keep whisking this, so I can't get it myself." He asked.

She got up and walked over to the counter. She picked it up and walked over to him, then she tripped over seemingly nothing. She was about to fall to the floor and drop the bag of flour too. Aaron quickly grabbed onto the bag to stop it going everywhere while grabbing Emlie's arm to keep her from falling with his free hand.

"Close one there." He gave a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. Nice reflexes." She complimented.

He let go of her arm and held on to the large bag of flour, as he was about to turn, her was startled by a voice.

"Everything okay?" Came Emlie's father's voice.

This caused Aaron to jump out of his skin at the sudden appearance of the man, which launched the bag of flour up into the air, tipped it upside down, and the baking mixture flew out on covered Emlie in the white powder. She crossed her arms and coughed as it coated her. She had an angry expression on her face. Aaron responded by sticking his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Oops…" Aaron said as anger encompassed her face.

"Y-Y-You… YOU DUMMY!" She screamed as she brought her hand across his face with a powerful slap.

Aaron was rubbing the sore patch of his skin for the next few minutes as a result, while Emlie's dad laughed at the hilarity of the situation. Emlie stormed out of the room to get cleaned up.

Later that evening, everything was prepared. Aaron sat in the living room watching tv and Emlie's parents were sprawled across a couch in relief that all the work was over. Emlie still had a grumpy look from earlier, yet she wasn't prone to hitting anyone currently. Then came another knock at the door. Emlie decided to let everyone else rest at this point and answer it for them. When she opened it, she ran outside and wrapped her arms around the two figures in a tight hug.

At first glance, they both looked very similar to each other. One was a tall blond man with a crew cut. He had brown eyes and wore a light blue woolen vest over the top of a white polo shirt, he wore black pants and a pair of brown loafers along with a brown messenger bag. The other was a young woman, brunette with the tips of her hair dyed red. She had a slightly tanned complexion and wore a red flannel shirt along with some ripped blue jeans and a pair of heeled black boots. As the younger girl hugged them tightly, they both gave smiles and hugged back, then they entered the residence.

After greetings were made to their parents, the two elder siblings turned their attention to Aaron. Sarah was the first to eye the boy.

"Oh, who's this?" She asked with intrigue.

"That's my friend, please don't go any further with this." She pleaded.

"Why not? I'm your big sister, I'm supposed to embarrass you." Sarah joked.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Aaron, Aaron Du Lac. Pleasure to meet you." Aaron introduced himself in a rather formal tone.

"Sarah Lane, and this is my brother, Lucas." She introduced, Lucas gave a slight nod.

"You two look rather similar. If you don't mind me asking, are the two of you twins?" Aaron inquired with the two as he looked at them to see the similarities.

"Yeah, don't think on it though, we're still totally different people." She answered.

"Well I'm worn out, hey little sis, can you help us get unpacked?" Lucas asked, she gave a nod and the three went outside to grab equipment from a car outside.

[Du Lac manor]

Exodius stood inside a basement, he walked around the stacked shelves of alcohol trying to make sense of the witch's words. His fate couldn't be sealed could it. The shade commander paced around the room for a few more seconds before slashing a wooden shelf in half with his dark blade.

"No. My destiny is not to fall. I will have victory, and I will destroy the power rangers before they gain the power to defeat me. I shall not lose." He reassured himself as he sheathed his blade.

[Lane Household]

The six of them sat around a nicely prepared table, In front each of them was a large slice of lasagne, aside from sarah. what she had in front of her, Aaron had made alongside the lasagne after finding out that she is a Vegan. He described it as a garden salad, using some of the common garden plant ingredients that he hadn't used in preparation for tomorrow. They dug into the food before them and were amazed by how good this was.

"You're very good at cooking." Lucas complimented.

"Thanks, I picked it up as a hobby to take my mind off of things at home." He replied.

"Well you made a good decision there." Emlie added.

"Yeah. I'm glad you all like it." He told them all with a smile.

"If you ever come here again, you're cooking." Mr Lane joked as he tucked into the lasagne.

"My husband loves food. I have heard about you though Aaron, given how you are in the kitchen, and from what I've been told, you're good at just about everything. So what's wrong with you? Being a reporter I have to ask. Surely there must be some negative area to your life, right?" Mrs Lane asked the boy.

"Oh, um… Well… It's really not best to say." Aaron dodged the question.

"I'm sorry for asking, I'm sure you have your reasons though. Hmm… Well look at the time. It took a while for you to cook and it's almost eleven. I think we'd all benefit from an early night, what do you all say?" She asked, looking at her watch.

"Sure, as long as there's room of course." Sarah added.

"I'm sure that you two girls can share a room and the boys can bunk too." Mr Lane told them. They gave nods and began the process of doing so.

Inside Emlie's room, there was no peace, not until a simple question was answered at least. Sarah was teasing her little sister over the matter.

"You still haven't told me what's the deal with your friend Aaron then. Are you JUST friends or is there something else going on?" She emphasised with a cheeky tone.

Emlie gave a sigh before turning to her sister. "Ugh, you aren't gonna drop this are you?" she asked.

"nope!" Her sister enthused.

"Fine, you wanna know? If you promise to keep your mouth shut, I'll tell you. Here's the deal." Emlie proceeded to lean in close and tell Sarah something in a much quieter voice than usual.

The next morning, the six of them awoke and descended the stairs and into the living room. As the Lanes exchanged and unwrapped their presents to each other, Aaron stood back and watched. He didn't know what is was like to be part of a real family, but to see one in such a mood, jolly banter being exchanged between them, it was good for him to see such a sight. HE had aided them with their preparations for today and had a good feeling in his heart for that. But he knew he could not stay, while all of this was nice, he had somewhere else to be. Aaron turned and exited through the door, with the cheery family messing around, only Emlie saw him leave and decided to go after him.

When she walked out the door, she remembered that she had only a long white jumper and a pair of slippers over her underwear to shield her from the cold and was immediately hit by a wave of cold. In her hand, she carried a quickly wrapped and unopened present, likely a last minute present.

"Aaron,wait!" She called, he turned around as he stood at his car. "Why are you leaving.?" She asked as she hopped over to him.

"I have somewhere to be, personal business." He vaguely explained to her.

"Where?" She asked, to which she got no reply. "You left this. It's poorly wrapped but I didn't want you to miss out." She handed him the present. "go on, open it." She ushered him

"Hmm…. a scarf. Thanks for this, I'll keep it with me. As for what I got you. This is a very special bracelet. It was given to me a long time ago and it is said to keep the wearer safe from evil. Plus it's pretty snazzy." He handed her the silver bracelet. a warm smile came across her face.

"Thanks for this too. Merry Christmas Aaron." She told him.

"Merry Christmas Emlie." he replied before heading into his car and speeding off. A rather obvious blush had come across her face as he had finished his words.

'I didn't notice this till now, but perhaps it's possible. Maybe he does like me too. At least I hope he does.' She thought to herself with a wide smile as the car drove off out of view.

[Castelan Cemetery]

Aaron, now wearing his new red scarf walked up and down the isles of gravestones as he bowed his head low. Eventually arriving at a large gravestone where he knelt and lowered his head further. the name upon the gravestone read Maya Du Lac - beloved wife and mother.

"Hi mum." He began speaking in a higher classed accent than his standard one. "Merry Christmas." He continued. "I'm sorry that I couldn't say that in person, but fate is a cruel mistress as you know. That day though. I'm sorry that I couldn't have saved you, I should've done something… I was too weak." He began to break down crying as he knelt there. "How were you so strong?" He asked as he knelt there crying, attempting to get some answer.

[highway road]

Two days later, after spending the holiday with their family, the Lane twins were on their way back to their university campus after the roads had been cleared for travel. Sarah was in the passenger seat of the car with a curious look on her face.

"Hey Lucas. Do you think we should've told them?" Sarah asked as her brother kept his eyes on the road.

"We're supposed to conceal our identities from everyone including our family. It's to keep them safe. I we could then we would. You may be the leader but I'm the smart one remember?" Lucas boasted.

"You can trust your intelligence but I'll always trust my instincts first, it's why I was chosen as red." Sarah countered.

"Oh excuse me Sarah Lane, red ranger of the dimension rangers, I didn't think instinct counted when we're fighting with different rules." He mocked.

"It's got us this far anyway." She finished as they ended their exchange of banter and continued driving upon the crowded freeway.

|Mythos|

 **And that is chapter 16. Lots of plot and other things in there. I spent say 2 weeks slowly writing this and I'll get to that before explaining something first. I have the plots of both Steam Force and Martial Strike planned out, aside from the necessary detailing that goes with each chapter, I know where I'm going with their stories. Mythos is in a similar situation except it's on a much larger scale that you'll see take effect soon enough. The little 'teaser' at the end is a half joke. I'm ahead in the plots of the different fictions I have so I did that as a way to sate my need to create new things and once Steam Force and Martial Strike are done, they'll finish before Mythos will that I can assure, then this will take that place.**

 **As for everything else in it, well that's for immediate set up for the next chapter which I will get to after another explanation. I told this earlier today yet didn't think I would finish this today. Anyway, my main focus these past weeks has been writing my own original fiction for a college assignment, I took a break from it to finish this chapter though. Due to a plagiarism detector in the college's submission system, I can't actually put the fiction on a website without the whole thing getting flagged up. Yet if anyone wants to I'd be more than happy to send over the file, so as long as you respect my ownership right to it of course, gotta be careful with that. As of next week things should return to normal though, so enough of me ranting, on with the synopsis.**

 **Next Chapter: Defying Destiny**

 **Synopsis: Back for a new year and the rangers start it off with a bang, they face off against their toughest opponent yet. Commander Exodius. Who denies that he will die soon. The rangers go into battle against him but will they be able to defeat him or does a particular ranger need to find something within themselves so that they are able to defeat the Shade commander? Find out next time on Power Rangers Mythos.**


	18. Chapter 17: Defying Destiny

Ch17: Defying Destiny

A crisp, cool air flowed through the streets of the town of Castelan as the citizens lives returned to normal after the winter break. Today was the first day back at school for the town's adolescents, and a group of teens were on their way into the main building. Clad in their winter gear, the six of them walked inside.

One of them removed a scarf that covered his face to reveal himself to be Aaron. He turned to his other friends and spoke up. "I'll see you guys later. I have to go do something. I'll meet back up with you guys at lunch." He told them, waving and walking away.

Percy looked at the others. "It's only been a few days since we all got back from our holidays, but have the rest of you guys seen how distant and shut off he's been since we've come back from our break?" He asked, thinking hard on the subject.

"Now that you mention it, he has. Ever since he left on Christmas. He's changed, and I don't know why." Emlie agreed with him. The others thought long and hard on the subject before the bell rang for them to head off to their respective rooms.

 **[Two weeks ago]**

Aaron was in a meeting room with what seemed to be a lawyer. He sat there twiddling his thumbs as the smartly dressed man looked through some papers. Then he pulled a pile out and spread them out on the table orderly. Aaron looked them over.

"We've been attempting to contact your father about it for six months now, yet we've had no reply. Finding you, we now know that you are the last surviving heir of your imminent family. That is why we give you this information now. According to our records, this package was to be delivered to your father upon the death of- Hmm…. That's odd, it seems to be anonymous. Anyway, as the heir to your family with your father missing, the package belongs to you. Have a nice day, Mr. Du Lac." The lawman informed him before collecting up several documents and leaving the young man in the room by himself.

Aaron stared at the package with curiosity before opening it. He read through a couple of pages and looked at a few photos. "No, that can't be." He told himself as he scanned the rest of the texts. "How is that possible?" He said once more.

 **[Present day]**

Aaron headed to the school's library and booted up a computer where he began typing in names and looking through the pages of content in front of him. "I'm gonna find you. Even though we've never known each other, we're the only family that we have left." He said as he scanned page after page till the bell rang.

As the hours ticked by, Aaron was unfocused on anything not to do with what he had fixed his attention on. Eventually lunch came and he sat next to his friends and he was still distant. His food was untouched and his friends were openly worried about him. The others just looked at him as he zoned out and was almost lifeless. As he finished his thought process, he snapped back into reality to find them all looking with a curious stare.

"Umm… Something up?" He asked them as they carried on staring at him.

"Oh, you're back with us. Well, for one you were zoned out." Ben explained to him.

"And we're worried about you. Ever since you came back you've been distant. You've not been eating, you've been pushing us away. Is there something wrong?" Emlie asked him with a concerned look.

"I...It's a long story. I'll be fine, I just need time. Something came up a couple of weeks ago and while I can't tell anyone about it yet… I promise that I'll tell you everything when it's sorted. For, now, I have somewhere to be." Aaron explained to them as he left.

"Any ideas what he's talking about?" Tyson asked the others as he continued eating.

"Maybe he's involved in something and he can't get out. We should help him with that." Lexa suggested.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea. You know how stubborn he is. We should leave him be for now. Perhaps another time." Percy countered her.

The teens carried on eating as they thought on the subject more. Just what was up with him.

 **[Du Lac Manor]**

Exodius geared up, a dark blade sheathed in its scabbard. Black metal armour clad his body with a menacing horned helmet donned upon his head. He placed a dark form of war paint across his eyes before heading to the stairs at the centre of the manor where a horde of shades awaited their commander. He took position in front of them at the base of the stairs and gave a deathly roar. Which they all replied with by doing the same.

 **[Command Center]**

Five of the six rangers sat around the control room of their headquarters as Doctor Blake explained recent developments from the past month. "And that's when Jamie noticed that the three numbers were coordinates on a 3D map. We now have the exact location of this weapon, the only problem is that we need Aaron to unlock it, only he and his amulet can open the way to the weapon we need."

The rangers looked at their mentor blankly. Not one of them knew how to get through to their friend. Then an alarm sounded in the room and the group sprung into readiness. Jamie opened up camera feed to show a large battalion of shades marching through the streets and laying waste to all around them. Leading this assault was none other than Commander Exodius who was cutting down anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

"This is bad." Percy chimed in.

"Yeah, Exodius is back." Lexa agreed on the subject.

"Last time we had a powerful ally and there were six of us, Aaron being out of action and shut off from us, we don't have much of a chance. Are you sure that we can take on Exodius and a legion of shades with just the five of us?" Ben asked, doubting their abilities.

"We have to destroy them, otherwise the town suffers from our handicap." Tyson countered, attempting to reassure the team.

"Regardless of our ability, we've all faced trials in the past few months. We have received special powers from the amulets to aid us in defeating Shadai and his army. With or without our leader we owe it to us and everyone else to try. The odds may be against us yet we can to this if we stand as one." Emlie added.

"You rangers better be ready for a fight. This looks like most of their remaining army. Good luck to you all." Merlin, who was with the group, bid them before they left.

The five of them ran outside the building before morphing, ready to deal with the deadly menace.

 **[Library]**

Aaron sat at a library computer typing away looking through name after name and face after face. Finally stopping on one in particular. "There, this is it. Wait, no… there's something off here. That's the one, yet there's something off about her. Like I've seen her before…" Aaron whispered under his breath. Just then he got a painful migraine as flashes of images raced through his head. "Ow!" He yelled as it sharply struck his head. When the pain died down, He turned back to the screen and looked through the information displayed on screen. "Wait this says that she's been reported...missing…" He sighed as he sunk his hands into his head. Then he turned as his head a buzz coming from his bag beside his chair. He turned to face it as a second buzz went off.

 **[City streets]**

The five morphed rangers stood with their mythic blades ready. As they met the gaze of the shadow legion, they charged towards the horde. Exodius drew his blade and pointed it towards the five teens. With a bellowing war cry, the battalion charged forward at the rangers.

As the two groups met, Tyson used his Asgardian strength to power through the groups. Lexa used her whirlwind speed alongside Percy's telekinesis to confuse and exhaust the masses. Ben switched in and out of the battlefield with his astral camouflage, cutting down shades as he did so. Emlie kicked back and dispatched any that came too close to her as the enemy was withered down. The minutes drew by slowly as the groups battled it out. Shades felled left right and center as the legion was reduced to virtually nothing. As the last shade was cut down, Exodius stood amongst his fallen subordinates, blade clutched tightly.

"You may have defeated minion after minion, yet you are not ready to face a warrior of my prowess. So face me warriors, and be cut down!" Exodius challenged as the five regrouped, panting for breath.

Percy turned to Emlie. "That fight took a lot out of us, think you can give us a boost?" He asked as he held his shoulder.

"Sure, just hold on a second." She replied, clutching her hands together and placing them on her chest. A golden glow erupted from her hands and the five were encased golden spectral armour.

"Pitiful. You use that armour yet it is no match for my power. Behold my glory!" He screamed.

Then he lifted his sword horizontally and slashed at them, sending a powerful wave of dark energy at the five. Once it collided, a colossal explosion occurred and the rangers were flung to the floor. They struggled to get up and their spectral armour burned away, leaving them wounded as the commander strode towards them, ready to finish it.

"Goodbye rangers." He told them before raising his blade to the sky, ready to savour the kill.

He swung it down upon them, yet was not met with victory, but the sound of steel clashing on steel. A fully morphed Templar ranger stood in front of him, blade pressed against blade. Exodius' eyes widened.

"No! How dare you deny my victory" He yelled as his blade ignited in purple flames. Aaron struggled to hold his stance and was being pushed back into the ground. His legs shaking, he wouldn't last much longer. "Give up ranger, it is your only option.

Aaron struggled, but defied Exodius. Under his breath, he managed to get out a few words. "No… No I won't… You… Can't hurt… The…" He told Exodius as he pushed away the blade, armed with a newfound strength. "I may have lost myself in this new world, but no longer. I lost my family but I gained friends in their place. I won't let you harm them or anyone else any longer!" He stated as a radiant light emanated from his amulet, eventually spreading to his armour and sword.

In a bright flash, His ranger suit changed. Upon his normal ranger attire was a new kind of armour. A Valkyrie visor with silver feathers emerging from the sides of it, with gracefully engraved shining armour plating covering his body. A long flowing red and white cape pronounced from the back of the suit. In place of his usual longsword was an intricate master craft sword a long handle, a feather guard, a pummel with a red glowing gem and a red tinted resonating blade full of energy.

"Paladin Steel!" Aaron called as he stood ready in his new gear.

Exodius stood back in fear. "NO! This cannot end, I will not allow it!" He denied as he readied his sword.

The rangers were making their way up off of the ground now, but looked on in awe. Their leader had finally unlocked his amulet power, with impressive results. Aaron and Exodius circled each other.

"I hoped to eliminate you before you unlocked such power which you could defeat me with. Now I see it was foolish to defy my destiny, this meeting was predetermined. Now we shall see what comes of this. One shall stand, and one shall fall" Exodius explained to his opponent.

"Then let us finish this." The paladin responded as they ran in and clashed blades.

For each slash delivered by one of them, the other would match the blow or block it in response. The fight went on like this as each slashed up and down, sweeping, stabbing, lunging. Not a single blow landed upon the other's opponent. The others had stood up now and were watching the battle unfold. Then the two ignited their blades, a divine silver flame and a corrupt magenta flame. The two blades clashed, sending a shockwave that shattered the ground as they did so. The two then backed off to gather their strength once more.

"You are strong, ranger. But not strong enough. My power knows no bounds!" Exodius boasted.

"You think highly of yourself, but good shall always triumph. You fight out of greed and only for yourself. I fight for the people and for those I wish to protect. You will fall this day Exodius. Through unity I shall win" Aaron declared, readying his divine blade once again.

Emlie signalled the others to come closer. "I have an idea guys. We can't help him fight but we can help him. Everyone has to concentrate to make it work though. We can channel our amulet powers to fight with him in spirit and give him the boost he needs to defeat Exodius. With all our amulet powers combined, even if it is temporary and would drain our power for a time, he can break the deadlock. Ready?" She asked after proposing such a thing. The others nodded and followed her lead.

The five stood in line, placing their hands over their amulet and chanting "unity" quietly. Each in turn paid the toll as each were temporarily stripped of their powers and their ranger suits. The five collapsed to the ground in a highly weakened state. Then the two stopped their duel as they saw this happen.

"What is happening? What have they done?" Exodius questioned as a golden energy transferred to Aaron.

"I don't know but I doubt it's something that can happen too often." Aaron replied as he saw a golden aura take hold, morphing the colour of his armour to a regal gold and the colour of the flame of his blade transforming into an unbearable colour for most, bright as superheated steel. "This power, it's incredible." He told himself before turning his attention to Exodius. "This ends now." He stated as he ran forward with lightning speed.

He clashed swords with Exodius and shattered his opponent's weapon with his brute strength. With telekinesis, he flung the shattered weapon away to prevent Exodius from using the still sharp metal fragments. As Exodius swung with his fists, Aaron used the astral power to jump out of the way and land soft strikes to his opponent to wear him down. His sword charged up in an unbearably white flame.

"You will cause no suffering any longer. Powers as one, United Strike!" He exclaimed as he thrust the blade through Exodius, forcing the warrior to combust. As the ashes fell, Aaron's power depleted and he dropped to his knees as he demorphed, exhausted.

The others got up as he did a few minutes later, their power restored. Congratulations were cut short as a rumbling was heard, and from the darkness emerged a Titan. Not just any titan though. A towering Commander Exodius loomed over them with his restored giant blade.

"I am not yet defeated rangers!" He roared at them as they looked up at their revitalised foe.

To be continued…

|MYTHOS|

 **That is the end of chapter 17. Aaron got information on another relative whoever that may be and in the process shut all of his friends out. After destroying a horde of shades, the rangers met their match, thanks to their leader and his battlizer, they were saved, and through combining their powers, something they only do as a last resort and at great expense, Aaron managed to defeat his foe. Yet all is not over as they now have to deal with a gargantuan version of Exodius.**

 **I've been away a week later than I said I would be and I'm just gonna make a formal apology here, especially with everything going off on the martial strike reviews. Partially because Christmas and I had things to do and mainly because of procrastination and the fact that I needed to recharge my batteries and just have a bit of time doing other things. Anyway I'm fully rested now and should have a Steam Force up in a day or two depending on how long it takes to do. Next week, I'll have a Mythos and Martial Strike up so you guys can finally settle your disputes. That's all from me for now, I hope everyone who reads this had a good Christmas and it's about time I put the synopsis, so here it is.**

 **Next Chapter: A Titanic Battle**

 **Synopsis: Exodius has been defeated, or so the rangers thought. He was in fact a titan, and when defeated, returned in his titan form. Now the rangers must battle with him once more to finally finish the foe for good. Can they stop him, or will they need more firepower to defeat such an imposing foe? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	19. Chapter 18: A Titanic Battle

Ch18: A Titanic Battle

The rangers looked at the Titan Exodius in fear. Although they had some power restored in the intermission between fights, They could hardly hold up against such a foe. They had no idea on what to do, until a certain voice came through the communicator on Aaron's morpher, which the others crowded around.

"Rangers, it's Jamie. Your energy levels are just about depleted and it's gonna be tough to beat him by yourself. By my calculations you should be able to call upon your guardian zords with what energy you have left. That said, you will be highly weakened and not last too many hits against him. I know it doesn't sound good but you need to buy time for Aaron."Jamie explained. The five lined up to call upon the mythic guardian while Jamie started talking to the leader directly. "Aaron, you know where your teammates defeated the shadow crusader right?" He asked giving a pause.

"Yeah, I know where it is." He confirmed before the technician began speaking again.

"Good, I need you to head there and muster enough power to morph. When you do, stab your blade into the ground and send any energy you can spare into the ground. You'll be able to take it from there." He explained, Aaron gave an understanding "okay" before heading in the direction of the hill overlooking the down with the stone ruins upon them.

As he looked on, the Mythic Guardian Megazord, severely weakened, struggle against the blade of the Shade commander as their losing battle continued, slowly, they were worn down.

Minutes went by and Aaron had made his way into the courtyard amongst the ruins, scorch marks still left from the battle that occurred there months ago. He was still panting and saw further out that the megazord was struggling as Exodius sent out a deadly slash that damaged the hull of the machine and sparks flew off it.

"Here goes nothing…" Aaron told himself as he pulled out his morpher and flicked open the guards. His breathing was heavy. "Templar… Power… Activate…" He called, slashing the red energy into a cross form before the energy merged with him and there stood the templar ranger.

He pointed the blade to the ground and held the hilt with two hands and struck it down into the dirt. Red lightning began to surge through the sword and strike into the ground, when a rumbling sound began. As it did, Exodius dealt a fatal blow to the megazord and tore it apart, the fallen zords lie in pain while the five Mythos ranger fell to the streets below and demorphed struggling to get up.

From the hill, the ground burst open and a booming roar came from the newly made hole. Exodius turned his attention to it. Another roar came from it at a stomping sound came closer and closer. Exodius braced himself as a third roar came and the titanic creature emerged from the hole. IT gave the powerful roar of a lion as the metallic beast finally stood in the light of day. A giant mechanical lion zord, eyes glowing yellow. Silver skin, a bright red mane and a red underbelly. Aaron looked at the beast in excitement. The five rangers on the ground managed to see the beast and gave sighs of relief as it roared once more.

"Alright!" Aaron exclaimed, triumphantly. "Now to see what this thing can do!" He finished as the lion zord approached and lowered its head, allowing the red ranger aboard and into the control room.

The room appeared to be of stone bricks, a small braiser burned in the back of the room, large red banners with white swords printed upon them hung from either side. In the centre of the room was a small stone platform with a gap in the top, The templar ranger looked around the room.

"This is pretty cool. Hmm… this hole looks big enough for my sword. Perhaps that's how I operate my zord." He realised, slotting the tip of his blade into the gap. Once he did, he heard the sound of a locking mechanism activate and another sound as the platform raised and a stone gyro rose from beneath the sword, making the war machine operational. "This is just like a joystick. Now exodius is done for!" He smiled under his helmet as he grasped the hilt of the blade and pushed forward.

Outside, as he did so, the lion zord charged forward at Exodius, the dark commander side stepped the zord within a fraction of a second before impact. Yet, he suffered moderate wounding from the beast's attack. The zord turned around once again and charged. This time though, Exodius couldn't dodge the beast and met it head on, using his dark blade to absorb some of the blow. The lion zord stepped back and it regained its footing.

Inside, Aaron was exhausted. The machine had taken much of his energy and he was running on fumes, so to speak. Only his determination to keep fighting kept him morphed. He pulled out his weapon on instinct, then gears began to shift around the control room. "Woah, what's happening now?" The ranger asked as different mechanisms activated around the control room.

Outside a transformation began to take place. The hind legs of the lion rose up and lifted the zord with it. The front legs began reshaping to form humanoid arms that seemed to be clad in armour, the feet flipped around to become metallic boots. Then the head of the lion turned vertically upright before the face of the lion dropped down into the chassis and the face of a knight helmet appeared inside the mane of the lion zord. At its left hip area, a long, gigantic, metallic longsword formed, as it did, the same white sword emblem upon the banners inside the cockpit appeared on the armour plated chassis of the transformed zord.

Aaron held the blade out in front of him as he made a declaration. "Lionheart Megazord, Ready!"

The newly christened megazord proceeded to follow the movements of its ranger pilot, now synced with the ranger. It pulled out the longsword and pointed it towards exodius. The dark commander readied his blade and the two titans were locked in a deadly melee.

The megazord slashed down upon the blade as Exodius struggled to keep it's blade steady. He eventually managed to sweep it off and slash at the megazord a couple of times, sending sparks flying off of it.

"Not cool Exodius. That's a new paintjob!" Aaron joked as he parried away a few blows coming at the zord.

The megazord landed a kick on Exodius, sending him back and gasping for breath. The megazord charged in once more, landing powerful two handed blows upon its opponent. Exodius staggered once more and had his blade low struggling to raise it.

Back down on the ground the unmorphed rangers looked at the battle overhead, the Lionheart Megazord appearing far superior to their opponent. "Go get him Aaron!" They cheered as they watched Exodius take a damaging slash.

"Looks like he won't last another hit. Let's make sure he goes down in style. It's time to finish it." Aaron told the megazord who roared in reply. "Alrighty!" He finished, powering up a powerful strike. "Heartfire Strike!" He called as he let out a powerful slash with an orange glow to the blade.

The Megazords sword ignited with bright orange flames and the sun became overly bright which illuminated the sky as the megazord performed a series of strikes from various angles which each hit Exodius with powerful effect.

The Shade commander, stood holding his side, his dark blade broken for a third time. The monster spoke up. "You… Have… Defeated… Me…" Exodius admitted before dropping to his knees and exploding, turning to ash.

"Myth, Busted!" Aaron triumphantly announced as he, and in turn the megazord, sheathed their weapons.

 **[Command Center]**

The six rangers walked in triumphantly, met with a proud smile on the face of their mentor. He looked as them all before finally speaking.

"Well done, all of you. Today you dealt a deadly blow against our foe. Shadai's armies are in chaos now Exodius is gone. Without his leadership, the minions of our enemy have no guidance and will fall far more easily." Doctor Blake congratulated the team, who were happy that the threat was dealt with.

"It's all thanks to our leader. Isn't that right?" Tyson praised Aaron and gave him a light punch in the shoulder.

"That's not true guys, even if I did finally put down Exodius, it was the power you lent me, the will to keep going that allowed me to defeat him. We did it as a team, even if it was only in spirit." Aaron told them, attempting to be humble about the situation. "But controlling a giant metal knight was pretty cool." He joked to the others as they shared a laugh.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

A week had passed since the defeat of Exodius and there had been no monster incident since. The five teens had gathered in the library, where Aaron had told them to meet him there about something important.

The rangers were sat down on beanbags when a figure approached and spoke up. They all looked up to see who it was.

"Good, you're all here." Their leader observed as he took a seat himself. "I asked you all here today because, well first I want to make an apology for shutting you all out for the past two weeks till Exodius was defeated. But I can finally tell you all. It happened after I left on christmas day. Aaron recounted the events with the man he had met which handed him the files that day.

"I've been looking through the files and internet ever since trying to find someone I never knew about. It turns out that I have more family than I believed. I have a sister." He told them as they all looked at him, a little stunned by what he just told them.

"That's great news." Emlie replied. The others agreed with their own congratulatory phrases.

"You'd think so." He told them, looking a little sad.

"Something wrong?" Percy asked, concerned for his friend.

"I decided to see if I can find her. I did. You know Novaton, the city which the government is planning to sell to that mega corporation in exchange for a technology contract? Well, she was listed as living in the Novaton orphanage since birth. Turns out she's my half sister and she's a couple of years younger than me. In addition to that… Well… She went missing last summer." He explained, his saddened expression worsened.

"There's still hope." Emlie tried to reassure him, that was before Ben butted in.

"Isn't that when this whole thing started, could the two events be linked?" He theorised.

"Ben, Aaron's pretty hurt right now. We should be more comforting than that." Lexa interjected.

"It's fine. If they are. Then I have a feeling that we're gonna run into her soon enough." Aaron added. "Now, lunch is in a few minutes, free period is almost up, let's head to the cafeteria before things get crowded. " He finished and the rangers left to go to lunch.

The six rangers sat down and Ben held a flier. He ate while he read, and when finished got the team's attention.

"Guys, you know what this is?" Ben asked them, passing the flier round.

Tyson scanned it. "A museum exhibition in about a week?" He asked, not really interested.

"Not just an exhibition, but a special one, it's on tour all around the states right now. It's coming in a week and is being curated by the discoverer of the artefacts. Dr. M. Hartford. PHD and famous explorer, like a real life Indiana Jones!" Ben fanboyed. It was passed to Aaron.

"Looks like fun, let's go visit it next weekend." He inputted, handing the flyer back to the black ranger.

 **[Train - Destination: Castelan Station]**

In a lavishly decorated classic train carriage, a man in his thirties, in a dress suit checked his watch as he read the paper that was provided to him. He was rather interested in the articles dedicated to the Mythos rangers, especially their most recent appearance a week and a half prior to his trip to the town. He was heading there to open the exhibition and reveal the centerpiece of the various artefacts on tour.

The man pulled out his phone after it buzzed to see a message from his dad. it read. "Good luck Mack." The man known as Mack Send a quick reply "Thanks Dad." before putting his phone back into his pocket. He was then approached by one of the train's staff members.

"Dr. Hartford, you asked to be informed when we would be arriving in the next town. Well, we'll be arriving in a few minutes sir." The staff member told him before leaving.

Mack Hartford had a smile on his face. Just getting to showcase his findings was enough, but the chance to contact, by now what seems to be a seasoned ranger team, this trip was all the more worth it.

 **[Dark Alley]**

The cloaked woman stood inside a dark and dank alleyway staring with her glowing green eyes into the lights of the museum. A smile curling on her lips. "Soon." She said as she eyed a picture of the main attraction. Then she disappeared into the shadows to continue her maniacal scheming...

|Mythos|

 **And that Is chapter 18. We saw the debut of the Lionheart Megazord, named after a certain King. And we got a powerful and cool finisher to end the life of the Shade Commander. A week later Aaron has finally confessed why he shut the rangers out last time, and they're there to support him in search of his sister who seemingly vanished without a trace. And in case it wasn't obvious, here comes a Veteran Ranger! Plus, Martial Strike references! The next chapter is gonna be action packed.**

 **Next chapter: The Staff of Morrigan**

 **Synopsis: The rangers, taking time off now that Shadai's army is in tatters, visit the museum to see a travelling exhibit from Qualified PHD, Certified Adventurer and hardened Veteran Ranger, Mack Hartford. The Staff being the main exhibit, what is the mysterious woman's interest with such an artefact? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	20. Chapter 19: The Staff Of Morrigan

Ch19: The Staff of Morrigan

Mack Hartford walked around the Castelan museum, looking around as people stared in wonder at the many artefacts in glass displays that he had collected in his time adventuring. He was proud of his achievements and was satisfied with the product of living his dream. Becoming an archaeology consultant and eventually receiving his doctorate in the field were also boons to the life he had lived. Now he could finally show others all the good work he had done.

The six rangers entered the Exhibit and looked around. Tyson hadn't any interest whatsoever in the different displays and hung back in the group along with Lexa, who was spreading gossip about school. Emlie had a moderate interest in the exhibits, as did Percy, who she was walking beside. Finally, unlike what they usually know of their fearless leader. Aaron was up front with Ben, really geeking out over the different exhibits, from what the white and blue rangers gathered, they were currently locked in a debate over what era and where artefacts were from.

Mack saw them and gave a chuckle, his team were close like that, all had different interests, but they always stuck together, through the good times and the not so bad. Then his attention was called elsewhere as his phone buzzed, alerting him to head off somewhere in a hurry.

"It's clearly a knock off, 50 years old at the most, you can see where the modern tool work has been done, the actual structure would be a lot rougher if it was the real thing." Ben argued.

"That isn't a knock off, it's genuine, you can see the etchings and the rugged carvings clearly, maybe you need to check your eyesight and look again." Aaron countered.

All around the exhibit, a sound system began. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you could make your way to the seating area, the main event is about to begin." The voice called before cutting off.

Emlie stepped between the two bickering friends and pushed them apart. "Guys, didn't you hear, the main event is about to start, I don't think you wanna miss it." She said to them, in a flash the two sped off to take seats. Then the other four ran off after them.

[Dark alley]

The cloaked woman loomed over a pack of feral shades, without a master to control them, they had turned savage and primal. She cast a green aura over them.

"Beasts, you obey me now. I have the power over you, now go to the museum, retrieve the staff and return it to me." She told them, watching as they obeyed and ran out to the museum. "Such primitive creatures, I'll be glad to be rid of them soon enough." She told herself as she disappeared into the shadows herself.

[Museum]

The group had sat down on the front row now, most of them watching the stage in front of them. The lights dimmed a bit and a metal cylinder was in the middle of the stage.

The speakers turned on once more. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, Dr. Mack Hartford!" This was followed by a round of applause as the man stepped on stage.

"Thank you everyone. I feel very welcomed by you all. You have a very nice town here. Now then, for the past eight years, I've been adventuring all over the world. The entirety of the exhibition is my life's work. And the crowning achievement, the legendary, and quite mythical, staff of Morrigan!" He performed, waving his hand over to the metal cylinder as it opened up and slowly, the staff elevated from the top.

The shaft itself appeared to be made of a polished mahogany wood with intricate carvings around the wood, atop that was a small verdant crystal ball, the mahogany wood wrapping around the lower half to keep it in place. It was a wonder how it had stayed intact all this time. Mack then went through some of the facts about the staff, while Tyson gave a bored sigh. Aaron and Ben were fascinated.

"Aside from all of this, we don't know much about the staff or how it is linked to mythology except for what we found. Apparently wielded by the fairy queen Mab, this staff is centuries old, dating back to times where history is rather cloudy. Moving on, the staff was found." Mack cut off as a shriek was heard from the people sat down as around ten feral shades ran into the room, viciously and unorderly. They approached the stage. "Everyone, run!" The former red ranger called as the shades approached the staff.

The six rangers got up and headed towards the stage, readying combat stances. Mack saw this and headed over to them. Aaron spoke up.

"Dr. Hartford, stand back, we'll deal with this." He told the man, who shook his head.

"I thought this scene looked familiar, six individuals, different personalities and a will to protect others no matter what. You guys are the power rangers of Castelan aren't you." Mack looked at them all.

"How did you work it out?" Emlie asked as the ferals spotted them and moved in.

"It takes a ranger to know a ranger." He added as the teens began fighting off the creatures.

Aaron landed a flying kick on one and tagged ben in, who dealt an uppercut punch to one that was further away.

"These shades are a lot tougher." Percy said as he elbowed one in the back and ducked under a strike from one of the feral's claws.

"I thought it would've been easier with their leader gone." Lexa replied, jumping over a defeated shade and landing a roundhouse kick on a shades exposed ribs.

"Seems not." Tyson finished as he clonked two of the minions heads together.

Emlie performed a high jump kick that took a feral down instantly, as she rose from a crouching stance and readied herself for combat again, she saw Mack sprint past her to fight the shades himself. The former ranger delivered a gut punch that knocked a shade off of its feet. He proceeded to kick another then take it out with an elbow bash. The shades were defeated and the six rangers looked at Mack.

"Good work you six, I may have a little more experience dealing with bad guys than you, but I certainly couldn't have defeated these things by myself, I'm glad you guys were here. Question is, why are they after the staff?" He asked them, they shared puzzled looks.

"Your guess is as good as ours. This is the first attack that we've had in a while, Shadai hasn't attacked since we defeated his second in command. He's never been after artefacts before." Aaron told him.

"I see. I'm sure that you guys have a command center or something right?" The rangers gave a nod. "Then we should head there quickly." Mack finished. He headed over and placed the staff within the cylinder once more, before taking it and carrying it along out of the building.

 **[Command Center]**

After introductions were made, Mack watched as the young Jamie opened the protective casing and examined the staff with his equipment. While he did so, the ranger's mentor examined many texts.

"You got anything on it, or why this Shadai might be after it? I've done my own research but beyond what I know, there's no logical explanation to take this relic." Mack asked the other man.

"Hmm… Says here that the staff is one of immense power, created and wielded by the fairy queen Mab, it is said to hold powerful elemental magic. The catch is, only someone with an affinity for magic, such as a mage, a druid, a warlock, even a witch. Any magic wielder can use such a powerful weapon. Shadai is a warrior Tyrant from what we know. It's of no use to him." Doctor Blake explained.

"Well, if it's not him, it has to be someone else. But who?" Mack asked, pondering it. As he did, the rangers came back into the room from sweeping the museum for clues or any more shades.

"There was nothing, there's something wrong with the Shades we were fighting, like they had gone back to their primal nature. We found out nothing else." Aaron sighed, taking a seat like the others.

"There's a magic user after the staff, we just found out. Only someone who wields can use its power. They must want the staff badly though, and without any minions left to hide themselves with, they'll come after it themselves. I propose we set up a trap." Mack told them, the rangers nodded in response.

 **[Du Lac Manor]**

Shadai was much more cautious now, first a witch invaded his domain and stole a relic from him, then the commander of his forces was destroyed, now he hardly sees reaper, when he walks the halls, he swears he hears the old man speaking to that shadowgate.

"I fear that my time is almost up, that soon I shall fall, either to the rangers who have been a thorn in my side for too long, or to those who scheme my demise. Yet it shall not happen. It took a great deal of energy to create you, but you shall be my guardian to lead me out of this darkness. My golem." Before him stood a bulky humanoid creature, made completely of metal. An iron golem to be the protector of a powerful evil.

 **[Castelan Museum]**

The museum of Castelan was empty now, closed due to needed repairs, Mack being curator of the special exhibit, he and the rangers had got in without trouble and had set the cylinder, with the staff exposed, back on the stage, ready.

Mack turned to the rangers. "It's probably gonna be tough to beat this enemy, seeing as they use magic, but I need you guys to give it your all. I know that we might fail to defeat this magician, that doesn't matter. What matters is keeping that staff from them, that way they can't harm anyone. You ready?" He asked. They nodded and headed to their hiding places.

Soon enough, it became cold in the exhibit. Lights flickered on and off, until they remained dark. When Emlie let out a breath, it was visible as the temperature had dropped rapidly. In a flash of vibrant green, a cloaked figure emerged in the room. The cloaked woman. She advanced on the staff till there were two feet between her and it. Then the rangers emerged.

"Stop right there!" They called. She looked around to see that she was surrounded by seven people. Then the lights flickered on again.

She burst out in hysterical girlish laughter. "You idiots, to think that you could trap a powerful sorceress like me!" She boasted.

"You won't be laughing soon enough thief." Mack told her, stepping forward. He clenched his fists.

"Fool! Astrapi." She chanted, holding out her hand towards him, a fraction of a second went by and lightning shot out from her fingertips, knocking the man unconscious as he fell to the floor.

"We should take this carefully, it's morphing time!" Aaron told the others, who lined up beside him as they all pulled out their morphers.

"Mythos, Ignite!"

"Templar Power, Activate!"

The six called as they were engulfed in energy and transformed into their ranger suits.

The six charged forward and her cruel smile turned to a frown. "If that is how you all want to play it." She said. They she waved her arm creating a magical ward.

The six collided with it.

"What the?" Tyson asked as he tapped on the barrier.

"She didn't even need any words." Lexa said as they retreated back.

"I never need any works in honesty, at my power I can crush you with my mind, yet I get more power using the more basic forms such as a wave of a hand or even a word. You stand no chance." She explained to them.

"We won't let you touch that Staff!" Percy refused, coming in with his blade, Emlie running in close beside him. They were about to slash the sorceress from behind when she threw out her magical ward, causing a shockwave that knocked the rangers back, demorphing the white and blue rangers.

"No!" Aaron let out as the remaining four got up. "Ben, Lexa, you distract, Tyson will attack along with me." He ordered, giving nods, the four set to work.

Ben turned invisible and Lexa built up speed, running at her. Yet the sorceress simply held out her arm and lifted Lexa up with an invisible force, throwing her from the air, into Ben, who she had already detected, the two's power depleted and they demorphed on the ground. Aaron and Tyson froze. She let out a powerful energy wave that slammed the yellow ranger into the wall, knocking him down and demorphing him too, Aaron dropped to his knees, having resisted most of the blast. She shot green energy at him, paralysing him.

"I can't move!" He let out, pushing against his own body. "What did you do!?" He asked, glaring at her as his power was sapped and demorphed himself.

"You're paralysed. There is no use wasting any more of my magic on you, you've lost all of your strength and nobody can stop me from claiming the staff." She informed him, stepping to the cylinder. "And now, the staff is mine!" She said in triumph as she picked up the artefact as it glowed a radiant green energy.

The paralysis effect had begun to wear off and the ranger could feel his strength returning, still it was not enough. Then the sorceress turned as she heard footsteps, Mack had recovered and was now advancing.

"You said nobody was going to stop you, well think again!" He declared, holding a strange looking device.

"You? These weak rangers barely stopped me! What do you think you could possibly do?" She asked, giving a mocking laugh.

"Watch." He said, holding the device up to show it to be the overdrive tracker.

Aaron's eyes widened. "He's gonna." He said as the man ran it down his arm.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" He called, his form being exchanged with that of the red overdrive ranger. "I knew keeping this thing would come in handy." He said, summoning his drive lancer.

Mack thrust forward with the lancer for it to connect with the staff, he attempted to extent the blade to break the staff, yet it didn't work. Instead it got pushed back and he let out a gasp in shock.

"Surprised? A staff this powerful has enough energy to protect it from destruction indefinitely." She told him, connecting the staff with the blade yet again. They pushed weapons against each other in a vicious melee. "How do you stand against me where our allies fail? They were so easy to defeat, but you!" She asked.

"I have a lot more experience. You're up against a veteran here." He informed her, slamming his lancer against her staff.

"Then take this!" She yelled, letting out a blast of pressurized water from her hand, staggering the ranger back, causing him to hold his shoulder.

"Cheap trick." He told her. She gave a smirk. Then the sorceress proceeded to use the staff to send a powerful burst of green energy that Mack didn't see.

"Mack look out!" Aaron called out, still paralysed.

Yet the Overdrive ranger didn't see it in time and was hit head on with the deadly burst of magic. He was knocked to the floor and his ranger suit was torn off of him, as he laid there in pain, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get up.

"Pathetic, not even a veteran could stand against me." She laughed. Then she walked over to Aaron. He was almost free of his paralysis. "By now you're wondering why I have not attacked you directly. That I cannot answer, but mark my words ranger, when the time comes, I shall destroy you." She told him, he had only a little strength left.

The paralysis broke and she walked away, before she could get out of arm's length, he grabbed hold of and pulled off her cloak. She turned with a scowl. Revealing her features.

His eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "No, that's, that's impossible!" He told himself looking at the face he knew so well.

Her eyes lit up and she disappeared inside a green maelstrom. Shortly after, the young ranger passed out from exhaustion.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron awoke and saw that some of the team were in the room with him. He must've been out for a while now. He looked around. And sat up.

"Guys, what, happened?" He asked, still dazed from the experience.

"While you didn't get hit directly, you were poisoned, it initially paralysed you but then it wore off and began the next phase of leaving you catatonic. We weren't sure you'd pull through." Doctor Blake informed him.

"I see and the others?" He asked, more concerned about them.

"Tyson and Percy are at home recovering, just a few broken bones. Ben and Lexa are just over there. As for Emlie, she stepped out to get a drink." He explained again. Then he stepped out of the room, where the two rangers came over.

"Glad you made a full recovery. Something seems up with you though." Lexa told him.

"Yeah, something happened after the fight. Before I lost consciousness." He was interrupted as the white ranger ran into the room and saw him sat up in bed.

Without another moment she ran up and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, He was rather shocked by this, not knowing what was happening.

"I'm glad you're okay. I thought that I- we lost you there." She told him, still hugging him.

"Thanks, all of you." He replied, hugging her back. Making her blush a little in the process. He eventually managed to pull her off of him and addressed the group. "What do you say we all get out of here and go do something fun?" He asked.

Ben and Lexa shook their heads. "No!" Emlie told him. "You're not going anywhere, not till you get better. Now stay there and rest, you'll be taken care of." She told him.

"Aw, come on! I'm starting to remember why I don't like nurses or anyone who acts like one." He said, the black and pink rangers began walking out.

"You're on your own now buddy!" Ben told him with a smirk as they left.

"Wait! No! Guys! Where're you going? Please! Don't leave me!" He cried out in a comedic distress, the two couldn't help but laugh at their leader as they left.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that is chapter 19. Mack has gone back to adventuring now so he'll not be returning for a chapter, in the near future anyway. As for everything that went on, they lost the staff to a powerful foe, how will they recover? Aaron knows who it is yet he's in disbelief at whoever she appears to be. And Shadai protects himself against plots that might not even be, although the title of the next one kinda gives it away. And I left the ending on a good note for a change. That's it for now.**

 **Next Chapter: Betrayal**

 **Synopsis: While the rangers recover and try to find out a way to defeat her, along with a particular ranger revealing her identity to the others, Shadai battles against a traitor and attempts to defeat the powerful sorceress himself when she too looks to end him. And an even more sinister threat comes to light. Next time on Power Rangers Mythos.**


	21. Chapter 20: Betreyal

Ch20: Betrayal

It was a dark and stormy night in the town of Castelan. The weather had been bad all day and after night draw in, it just got worse. Thunder boomed and lightning tore the sky open in bright flashes. In the Du Lac manor, Shadai sat, fearing the worst. He turned to the golem and spoke up.

"Many millennia ago, I betrayed my master and took over his armies, banishing him to a realm from which none can escape, unless they are summoned. After my release at the hands of my former host, I thought I could truly conquer this world and claim the others, yet the ancient amulets, accursed things. They came back to stop me. Now, after all my planning, my second destroyed. I believe that this could be the last night I see this realm." He delivered the monologue to the soulless golem.

He gave a sigh and rose from his seat. "Enough of this moping around, it is time to deal with reaper once and for all. Traitorous scum, he soon shall know my wrath. First I must gather a guard, then I shall be ready for him if he pulls any tricks. Come." He ordered, ushering the golem to follow.

Once they had grouped up some shades, being close to their master, they weren't feral, unlike some. They stood, guarding Shadai, at the bottom of the entrance hall, just before the stairway. Then a horrendous banging came from the door, like a powerful force was attempting to force it open. The doors rattled, slamming as the locks eventually broke and the large doors swung open. There, on the other side stood the sorceress. Her face shadowed by the lack of light on the outside. She seemed to be wearing modern clothing. She held her hand out, like she forced the door open with it. In her left hand, by her side, was the staff she had stolen earlier.

Shadai looked at her in surprise. "I had heard that someone else had been causing havoc in this town, just didn't know it would be a girl. Though you seem to have power, it will be of no match for me. Therefore my golem shall deal with you. Shades, with me." He commanded, walking away whilst signalling the metal beast to attack her. The dark lord walked up the stairs with his minions to deal with his other problem.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron was still confined to the med bay of their headquarters, against his wishes, but he was finally allowed out of bed and was talking with the rangers on a rather important matter.

"So before Emlie came into the room a week and a half ago, I was about to tell Lexa and Ben what happened just as the battle ended. Now Percy and Tyson are doing better off than me. I'll let you all know what I saw. I know who she is. I just don't believe it." He told them, trying to keep it together.

"Its okay man, we're here for you if you need it." Percy reassured him.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He replied before continuing. "With what strength I had left, I managed to pull off her cloak. I saw who she was and I froze up. The sorceress we fought. She's Artemis… She's my Sister…" He sighed, trying somehow to not believe his own eyes.

The other five were taken back by this. His first meeting with his sister and they were fighting against each other. There was an awkward silence that lingered after he said it.

"That's tough, I'm sorry this happened. It'll be okay." Tyson consoled.

Emlie shook her head and gave a reassuring smile to their leader. "It doesn't matter what she did back then. I'm sure that there must be a reason why she did what she did. Maybe it's not her fault."

"I'd like to think that, from what I know about her, there's no reason that she'd harm anyone. Thanks for staying positive for me guys. I'll need some rest if you don't mind. You can all leave now." He thanked them before tucking himself into the sheets of his medical bed.

"Sure. And if you need anything, from any of us. Don't hesitate to ask." Emlie replied as the five exited leaving the ranger alone, the last turned off the lights.

As soon as they left, he jumped out of bed and got changed. "If she's after more power. I know exactly where she'll be. Maybe I can get through to her, or at least find out the truth." He told himself. Heading out in the rain and unchaining a silver bike and heading off into the darkness.

 **[Du Lac Manor]**

The sorceress, now known to be Artemis, the sister of Aaron, stood facing the iron golem. She gave a confident smirk.

"Stand aside beast, or face my wrath!" She told the creature, which slammed its metal foot into the ground and let out a roar. "So be it." She told the monster, raising her open hand, where she generated a fireball from it.

The monster charged forward and she sent the fireball hurtling towards it. It connected with the beast's face, causing it to stagger for a moment allowing her to move out of the way as the golem clashed with the floor. It proceeded to stand tall once again, turning to face her.

"Seems you have more power than I thought, yet that won't save you or your master." She told the creature, before sending a powerful force at it, causing it to fly out of the door and into the rainy courtyard.

She stepped out of the door, holding her staff up, to finish the golem. Once the creature recovered, the jewel atop the staff began glowing a vibrant green. Then the rain around them warped, forming into solid swords, made completely of water. Her eyes glowed a vibrant green, which sent the swords to perform rapid and vicious cuts to the golem, destruction at the hands of a thousand cuts. After each one stuck the golem, it would dematerialise back into its base element.

After the final sword slashed the golem, it collapsed to its knees. She gave a smirk before turning around just before it exploded. "Pathetic." She said, walking back into the manor.

Shadai and his warriors stood in the former study where the shadowgate was, reaper was surrounded by the shades. The old man was cowering and grovelling.

"Please, master, don't do this! I've been your loyal servant for so long!" He pleaded, the lord simply shook his head.

"You were once in service to my master, then when I betrayed him, you joined me. He is gone, yet you act as if you serve someone else now. I have heard you in the night, plotting, you and the witch conspired against me, now it has all come down to this." He told the former servant.

"Please. I don't want to die my lord, anything but this!" He begged, on his knees.

"It is too late, warriors, kill him." He ordered. The Shades drew their blades, pointing them at the old man.

As they swung, they were stopped by seemingly nothing. Then Shadai too froze, unable to move. "What is this? Why can't I move!?" He screamed

The sorceress entered the room with a sly smile. "I'm disappointed in you Shadai. Lord of darkness. What a joke. You are nothing but a fool. You only saw a traitor in your midst when it was too late. And you were defeated time and time again by those worthless power rangers. This is a fate which you truly deserve." She told him before clenching her fist, incinerating the shades in the room.

Reaper let out a maniacal chuckle and walked up to his paralysed former master. "You fool. You could have destroyed me while I was stalling, now your incompetence is your end." He told the other as he began uttering some kind of ancient dialect.

Shadai squirmed as a dark energy began to be drawn from him. "Reaper! Stop, what are you doing to me!?" The dark lord demanded.

"I am doing what I must." He said as he continued the chant.

As more dark energy was pulled away, Shadai's body collapsed to the ground. Above it was the dark embodiment of Shadai, his spirit essence. Red light lit up inside it and a furious and outraged scream came from the smoke cloud.

"My body! Why would you do this to me!?" It screamed.

"To begin, that was a stolen body. As for taking you out of it, it was, necessary for the ritual to be completed." Reaper informed it.

"What ritual!?" It demanded, struggling to break free of the still prominent paralysis.

"A ritual of summoning, one that demands your sacrifice." He told it, an evil smirk came over his face.

 **[Du Lac Manor Courtyard]**

The rain had gotten lighter as the night went on. Finally, Aaron arrived at his former home, he was unmorphed, yet he had his templar blade active and ready. He saw the remains of the metal giant on the floor as he walked in and headed up the stairs when he saw flashes of light coming from within.

He swung open the door and saw the dark ritual going on, his father's unconscious body on the floor. The sorceress was using her magical powers to open up the gate and reaper kept Shadai's essence trapped. He turned to the young girl.

"Artemis. What're you doing? I finally find you and you're my enemy? Why?" He asked her, a glimmer of hope that she wasn't as evil as it was suspected she was. Yet her eyes showed no remorse.

"Stand down boy and let me eradicate this nuisance. I will let you live for now. Just never utter that name again. This vessel still has some fight in her. I'd hate to lose control now." She told him, her eyes starting to shimmer with green energy.

"I don't understand. Why do this?" He asked again.

"I am not who you think I am. Now leave this place, or I will smite you!" She raised her voice.

His head lowered. "Fine, I understand, I came to know something, and I did that. Now let me and the man on the floor leave." He said to her. Her eyes returned to normal.

"Go. But be warned, when next we meet, I shall destroy you." She told him as Aaron hurled his unconscious father over his shoulders and carried him away.

The sorceress turned and scowled at Reaper. "Let's begin." She said, opening the shadowgate fully.

Reaper held Shadai's spirit in front of the portal before the sorceress began speaking again. "Mighty lord of wrath. We, your servants pledge to you a sacrifice, the soul of a traitor. We plead you to take him to your purgatory so that he may suffer a well-deserved fate, and you can rise again, to set the world on fire! Arise, Lord Abaddon!" She chanted.

When she finished, a hand of fire came out of the portal and swiped the spirit into the realm from which it came. Then with a rumble and a single spark, a fiery maelstrom began to form around the two, where it spread to the rest of the building.

Outside, Aaron sat his father down. "It's okay now, we're both safe." He told the man.

He turned around when he heard the sound of something burning. Then he saw that in an unnatural manner of seconds, the whole place was ablaze. Aaron was caught with grief as the whole thing lit up and burned. Even if he wanted to go back inside, try and save anything. There was no use, the only entrance had collapsed. He looked on, trying to keep himself together before turning to his still unconscious father.

"I have to get you out of here." Aaron said, even with knowing that he wouldn't be heard. So he hurried to get the older man out of there.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron ran into the building, fatigued from the journey, cold, wet and holding onto his father, he managed to get as far as the first room before collapsing due to tiredness, then he passed out.

He awoke with a daze. The sun was shining through a window in the room he had been using and he turned to see Merlin, hood clutching to the rest of his head, sat down near the boy.

"Wh… What happened?" He asked. Getting up slowly.

"You managed to bring back your father from the manor and he is surprisingly free of Shadai's control. Care to explain what happened last night?" He asked, in more of a demanding voice than usual.

"I went there after the sorceress. She's my sister. When I got there I confronted her. They were doing a ritual with Shadai's spirit. I tried to reason, but she said she wasn't Artemis, she said that the vessel had some fight left in her. I don't know what that means. Then she let me go free, allowing me to take my father too. Then when I got outside. The whole place set ablaze. Does this mean anything?" He recalled to the old man.

"Yes. It does, and I fear what is to come is far worse than anything you have faced. Please, come with me." He told the young man.

"Where is my father? Is he okay?" Aaron asked, concerned.

"Yes, he is resting, don't worry you can speak to him soon enough, now come." He told Aaron again, who this time nodded and followed the man.

They arrived in the dark chamber with the font in the middle. They took seats side by side and Merlin turned to Aaron.

"In my years, I have learned something called spirit walking, it allows us to observe a day in someone's life. We must focus on your sister, Artemis, focus on the day she was reported missing, and close your eyes.

Aaron did so and then something happened, an odd sense of peace came over him and then the environment changed.

 **[Flashback]**

Walking down the streets of Novaton was a young girl at the age of fifteen. She was 5'7 with a slight muscular build and lightly tanned skin. She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She had a deep magenta tank top on, a long sleeve button up jacket layered over it with a Cyan skirt on and she wore white shoes.

The girl was indeed Artemis Domino, on the day she went missing. Merlin and Aaron stood behind her, the scene was frozen and Merlin turned to the ranger.

"These are events that have already happened. Keep that in mind. No matter how much you want to, you can't tamper with something that is simply an echo of the past. You should also know that we cannot be seen or heard. So shall we continue?" He asked, Aaron gave a quick nod before Merlin hit his staff on the ground and the environment began to come to life again.

They followed Artemis down the street until she heard someone call out to her, then call out for help. She looked around, hearing it come from a side street clearly. She ran down yet saw nothing, turning back around, she ended up being cornered. Yet not by any person or mortal. She was trembling with fear as a womanly spirit, composed of green energy, approached her.

"Don't be afraid child I will not harm you, I in fact have a gift for you." She called, her voice soothing.

"What do I get?" She asked, still scared of the spirit before her.

"It's a very, very, nice surprise. All you have to do is take my hand." She extended her ghostly arm towards Artemis. "It's okay. I'm family." The spirit smiled.

"You… You are?" She asked, the spirit gave a confident nod before Artemis took the spirit's hand.

"Good girl." The spirit said, more mocking in tone. "I didn't think this'd be so easy. Possessing a descendant of mine shall be far easier for my plans than this feeble form." She gave an evil smile. Then she flew into Artemis, merging with her. The girl went limp before getting up again. This time her eyes glowed green.

A womanly voice took over from the girl. "Oh, it's good to be back in a body again. Finally." She said, pleased with the new host she had, before walking off.

Merlin stopped the memory and turned to Aaron, whose mouth was wide open, he was petrified.

"I'm… Sorry… Yet I know now, who the sorceress truly is." He told the boy. Then a bright white light blinded the two.

 **[End of Flashback]**

The two were sat back in the room. Merlin turned to the boy. "I am sorry what happened to her. Yet I finally know who the sorceress is."

"Who?" Aaron asked, his voice, monotone.

"She has gone by many names over the ages, you would most commonly know her from the time of your ancestor. Her name, is Morgana Le Fay. It seems that your sister is a descendent of hers. Going after her, Morgana wants only for power. I should've seen it sooner. I am truly sorry." He apologised to the young ranger who sat there, his face indifferent.

"Don't be. This won't stop me. I will get my sister back, no matter the cost." He declared to the old man, who was shocked by his determination even after seeing such a thing.

 **[Manor ruins]**

Ash, burned bricks, charcoal lay in the ruins of the manor. It was completely silent. The fires had settled now. Then, from the ashes rose three figures. The first two were that of Reaper and the sorceress Morgana. The third was a rather imposing figure. It was eight feet tall, with a stocky build. Blood red skin, a dark complexion and black eyes. It had dark long hair and a dark moustache. The humanoid figure wore a twisted and spiked arcane battle garb.

The red skinned creature raised its arms up to the sky in triumph. He spoke with a gruff demonic voice "I am finally free!" He screamed to the heavens. The other two kneeled before the Demon.

"How can we serve you, Prince Abaddon?" Morgana asked, keeping her head low to the Demon Prince. Abaddon gave a dark smile.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that is chapter 20 which is a real milestone for me. It's a bit late, I had to focus on finishing some coursework that was due soon but everything's fine now. So, here we saw just how powerful the new villain was and they sacrificed Shadai's spirit to the eternal prison to free a new more powerful villain. Yet Shadai is not yet actually destroyed. Lord Du Lac is finally free and recovering, and Aaron is determined to free Artemis from the control of Morgana. And with the Demon Prince Abaddon now free, things are about to become a lot tougher for the rangers. I'll be back with more updates to things throughout the week.**

 **Next Chapter: Winds Of Change**

 **Synopsis: Aaron finally gets to speak with his father after all the time away and finally catches a break. Even if his mind is set on one goal at the moment. The rangers are finally let in on the bigger picture and find out about their new foe. Then the villains unleash a terrifying symbol that they are in Castelan and they are there to stay. Can they match Abaddon and his demonic forces? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	22. Chapter 21: Winds Of Change

Ch21: Winds Of Change

A few days after the events at the manor, Aaron was sat talking to his father over breakfast about the events since his father had been absent.

"That's when the others lent me their energy to empower my amulet even more, allowing me to reach a new power level, although it did significantly drain me. While they held off a giant resurrected Exodius, I went to the old castle ruins, the ones overlooking the town, I sent the energy I could spare into the ground and awakened a sleeping giant. The lion zord. Through this, I managed to destroy him once and for all." He recounted.

The older man scratched his beard. "I see you've had quite a few adventures these past months. Oh, look at the time, you should be off. You don't wanna be late for school." He said to the teen.

"Alright, I'll come by later." Aaron told him picking up his bag.

"There's no need to do that, go have some fun. It's not fair if you're cooped up in here looking after your father. I'll be fine." He reassured his son.

"Okay. I'll see you soon then." He waved heading out of the room.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Aaron made his way into the school rather early today and met up with the school's least favourite bully. The teen accepted his punishment from his rival, which was a classic wedgie. As Todd and his band of bullies left the ranger, laughing as they did so, the rest of his team arrived to see their leader still recovering.

Percy patted his friend on the back. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, same old, same old." Aaron sighed. "Before class, I'd like to tell you all something." He continued.

"Go ahead." They all told him.

"Well, when you all left, I snuck out and went to the manor, I knew she'd be there. When I reached her, I finally found out the truth. She might be my sister in body, but she is being possessed by someone. I know who, it's best said elsewhere." He informed them, a few had puzzled looks.

"At least it's not her we're fighting against, there's still hope." Emlie smiled at him.

"I know, I won't give up hope no matter what." He told them confidently.

The bell rang and they headed their different ways, Lexa decided to run after the white ranger.

"Hey, Emlie wait up!" She called as she caught up.

"Something up?" She asked with a blank look.

"I wanted to ask you something." The pink ranger told her teammate.

"Go ahead, ask away." Emlie agreed.

"I've noticed that you act different since we came back from our winter break, especially when we're in our group." Lexa said. "You seem a lot happier, especially around a certain, ranger." She suggested, giving a playful wink.

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about!" The white ranger denied.

"Don't give me that, it's painfully obvious that there's something going on. You should take a chance, you never know, plus there's a certain holiday coming up soon, maybe he'll feel the same way." She told her comrade. By now Emlie had a bright red face.

She gave a sigh and turned to Lexa. "Fine, if it'll get you off my back, I'll try. You're relentless you know that." She told her friend, half-jokingly.

"Just one of my many qualities." The pink ranger laughed as she turned off to head to her classroom.

 **[Manor Ruins]**

The middle of the day had come, among the ashes sat Morgana, inside a triangle drawn in either blood or a substitute for the substance. She sat with an ancient book, what seemed to be a grimoire, as she did, she chanted unintelligible words, Reaper looked on in confusion while being stood beside his master.

"Prince Abaddon, what is the witch doing? What shall come of this?" The old man asked, unsure of his master's plans.

"Observe Reaper, watch as ancient magic, far beyond any other's comprehension begins to make my plans take hold. This is why I chose her, her power is how I become stronger." The demonic overlord told his minion, he gave a dark smile as from the scorched earth an obsidian spike began to rise from the ground and slowly begin to increase in size.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

The five rangers were sat at their usual table and talking about some of the less serious matters of the day.

"So because of the idiot sat behind me, I have detention for the next few days. Enough about what happened I'm sure someone else has something to share." Lexa said, eying the white ranger.

"I'll go next." Tyson told the others, Emlie gave a sigh of relief and thanked her friend in her head. "I was heading by the library earlier when this new kid bumped into me, at first I was sure I knew the person, then they went round the corner and I heard some people collide, I looked round the corner and Todd was being held back by his cronies. That guy has a really short temper." Tyson told them.

After a few more minutes, Aaron interrupted them. "He, you guys hear that?" He asked. They all shook their heads, then they all felt it, a slight tremor. "An earthquake?" he said as the tremor turned into a rumbling.

"That's weird, we never get any earthquakes around here, how's this possible?" Ben asked, trying to work out how.

"It's obvious." Aaron said, pulling out his phone and flicking through it for a second before showing it to the others. "Morgana." He said as they looked at the screen.

It was a live feed from the ground as from where his home once stood, the obsidian spike had risen up and formed into an obsidian spire, still rising up and heading for the clouds. The six teens shared worried looks.

 **[Blackspire - Base]**

Reaper had his eyes widened as the spire rose high, almost touching the clouds now. His master looked at it with a dark grin.

"The summoning ritual has worked. The symbol of my power, my dominance. The Blackspire will cut deep into the hearts of mortals when they see it, it shall cause them misery, pain and fear when they look upon it. Now Morgana, complete the ritual!" Abaddon ordered, raising his arms to the sky and giving a triumphant roar as the spire finished ascending to the heavens and touched the clouds.

As it did, a great stone door materialised and opened up. The dark sorceress rose and gestured for them to enter the tower, as soon as they did, the obsidian doors shut closed.

 **[Command Center]**

Due to the current fear in the town, school had been cancelled for the rest of the day and the rangers had made their way to the command center where they were speaking with their teacher, Merlin and Aaron's father.

"From what we know it's made completely of obsidian, its peak is just above the clouds and any action taken against the tower to destroy it has proven unsuccessful." Doctor Blake told them.

"We believe it's protected by some kind magic. Nobody can get in or out except from the summoner, or anyone who wears a special talisman, yet there has been no activity since it rose to the clouds, their next attack could be now or even weeks from now, the purpose of the spire itself is still unclear too." Merlin informed them, a worried look about him.

As he finished, the alarms went off and they all headed off to the large monitor that displayed three figures walking the streets and making people flee in terror. One was easily recognised as Morgana, blasting people with her staff. The next was reaper commanding a group of Shades that had survived the arson of the mansion. Finally, Abaddon walked tall in the centre of the villains, a demonic great sword rested in his clawed hand.

"This is getting really cliché, as soon as we start talking about them, something happens and we end up going off and fighting them." Aaron sighed at the predictability of the attacks. "Well, guess we'll head out." He finished as the six rangers headed off to deal with the three villains.

By the screen, Merlin had frozen as he looked at the red demon striding once more upon the earth.

 **[Streets]**

In the streets of Castelan, civilians ran as Morgana blasted the ground with dark elemental magic, Shades ransacked nearby areas and Abaddon scared off any citizen that he neared with his menacing appearance. Six individuals turned the corner and met the gaze of Abaddon and his minions. Morgana and Reaper's faces both turned angry.

"Be careful my lord, these are the teens that defeated Shadai's top commander. You have just been released and are not at full strength yet, I wish nothing upon you." Reaper warned.

Abaddon gave a confident laugh. "I am the supreme commander of my realm's armies. I am more than capable to take on a few teens." He said, raising his sword, then stopping. "But first, a test. Send those Shades against them." He ordered the old man who gestured to the beasts.

The four Shades ran and the blue, yellow, black and pink rangers began to fight the four minions. Emlie and Aaron stood ready to engage the other opponents.

"The boy is mine." Morgana told the others, a determined look in her eye.

"I see you have history with this mortal, so be it." Abaddon replied, turning his attention to the white ranger. "Then it is you and me, girl." He finished raising his blade.

"Mythos Ignite!" She called, activating her morpher and morphing into her ranger suit, unsheathing her Mythic Blade.

"Templar Power, Activate!" Aaron called, drawing the red templar cross and stabbing into it to transform into the Templar Ranger, his blade pointed towards the sorceress.

"Cute, last time you didn't do so well, what makes you think you can beat me now?" She asked, looking at the ranger.

"Because I know who you are, who you possess. I've seen your power now, the way you fight and nothing's gonna stop me from getting my sister back!" He asserted, striking overhead with his sword, leaving only seconds for the sorceress to block it with her staff.

"You're holding back!" She told him, attempting to distract him.

"Funny, I thought you were doing the same, thing!" He said, landing a power attack on her which wounded her shoulder.

He let out a cry and fell to the floor, helpless. By now, the other four rangers had defeated the Shades and were morphed, helping Emlie against Abaddon. Percy noticed what his teammate did to Morgana and saw her fall to the floor.

When the sorceress did, Aaron let his guard down. "Artemis! Are you okay?" He called out, hoping that he hadn't just made a mistake and struck his actual sister.

Percy saw this and he saw Morgana charging up some sort of spell from her hand. Knowing there was no time to effectively warn him and pushed him out of the way, yelling the words "Watch out!" as he did. The blue ranger got hit with the beam and fell to the floor. The four facing Abaddon rushed to their fallen friend.

Aaron began breathing heavily, seething in anger, he never wanted any of his friends to get hurt, he knew he couldn't cause anymore harm to his sister, even if she wasn't herself right now. Yet he had to let his anger out another way.

"You guys take Morgana, I'll take the red creep." He told them as he stepped to face the prince of war. They nodded and stood up so that they could continue the fight with the sorceress.

"A pity, After all I've been through with your leader, I still don't get to end him. You'll have to do." She told them as she stood facing them. Emlie called on their ethereal golden armour as the rangers, including an injured but not down Percy, stood ready to face her.

Aaron stood opposite Abaddon. Both had their sword blades trailing on the floor. "At last, a true warrior, and a worthy challenger approaches."

"Save it." Aaron said as he screamed when he clashed blades and lashed out at the demon in front of him, then they began their vicious melee.

Aaron parried his opponent's sword and went for a low sweep, as he did, Abaddon came in with a counter, spinning around and pointing his sword downhill towards the ground in a defensive stance. Aaron reacted quickly and raised his sword to block before jumping back to a defensive stance himself.

Abaddon lowered his guard and had brung his great sword to his side. "Impressive skill, your technique is admirable." Abaddon complimented. Aaron was surprised by the calmness of his opponent, even against his anger, he was the strongest opponent he had faced yet. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Abaddon, demon prince of war." The demon introduced in a rather regal tone compared to his usual voice.

"I am Aaron Du Lac, Templar Ranger, and you've seen nothing yet!" He told the prince of war as the ranger's amulet began to glow with radiant light.

"Interesting." The prince told himself.

"Paladin Steel!" He called. After a bright flash the paladin armour of the templar ranger took shape and the Paladin/Knight stood ready with his master crafter blade in hand.

"You've unlocked your power, yet that is just the beginning, I will face you now but I know you hold more potential, but one thing at a time." Abaddon called, unsurprised by the ranger's battlizer.

"You've seen this before huh? Well get ready to face it again!" He called charging forward.

Abaddon took an offensive stance. "With pleasure." He smirked.

The two clashed blades and send out a minor tremor that knocked the rangers and Morgana to their knees. They quickly managed to get back up. Percy was providing support from the back using his telekinetic abilities to throw projectiles at their opponent.

Morgana had surprisingly amazing reflexes and blocked the projectiles, sometimes even using her own abilities to stop the projectiles in mid-air and then throw them back at the blue ranger. It is for this reason, Emlie was at the back, protecting her injured friend and slicing the hijacked projectiles to stop Percy from getting hit with them.

Tyson was up front taking most of the damage from her elemental powers while Ben and Lexa used their abilities in similar fashion to perform tactical strikes and to distract the sorceress more.

Back on the battlefield between the two leaders, neither had gained the upper hand and both were worn down from the fight. Aaron saw an opening where Abaddon had exposed his ribs unknowingly and took the opportunity, he smacked the guard of his blade into the warrior's face, temporarily stunning him and stabbed into the prince, wounding him.

Abaddon staggered back as the wind was knocked out of him simultaneously. "We. We will meet again ranger!" He declared, trying to regain his breath.

"I'm counting on it." Aaron told the prince, then he returned to his standard ranger suit before demorphing in front of the injured demon.

"Reaper I need aid!" Abaddon called as the old man skittered over to help his master.

Aaron turned to see Morgana gone and that the rangers were demorphed and exhausted. When he turned again, the two other villains had also gone, then he made his way to his friends.

"I take it she left?" He asked as he helped them to their feet.

"Yeah, as soon as you wounded that monster over there, she bailed." Tyson confirmed.

"He's not just a monster. He's our new enemy. That was Abaddon, war prince of demons." Aaron informed them, they all looked slightly shocked by it.

"We're dealing with demons now?" Ben groaned. Aaron gave a nod and walked over to Percy.

"Thanks for pushing me out of the way there, I would've ended up being much worse off if it wasn't for you." Aaron thanked, holding his arm out. Percy shook hands.

"What're friends for." He told his leader with a smile.

 **[Blackspire - Throne Room]**

An obsidian throne in the centre of the room, carved from a pillar of the same stone as the rest of the tower was where Abaddon sat, still in pain. Reaper had become the Demonic leader's temporary doctor till his wound was fully healed.

"Master, you must remain here. Using my medicine and the magic of your throne, you will be healed eventually, but not for a while. It would have been a mortal wound if not for your power and where you are sat right now. Until it heals, you can't leave that throne without killing yourself in the process." Reaper informed his master as he knelt at the throne.

"I see. Then my rival has time to prepare. For when next we meet I shall fight him at the height of my power, not this feeble form. But for that, I need more power." Abaddon said thoughtfully.

Morgana was nowhere to be seen in the room, no doubt she was utilising another part of the tower to reach one of her goals yet again.

 **[Secluded mountain]**

Upon the alpine peak of a secluded mountain sat a small divine palace, one like it was taken from a fairy-tale. Inside stood a youthful young man with a godly appearance and glorious golden locks of hair. He wore a white toga and golden sandals. Upon his back were white angelic wings and he wore a golden laurel wreath upon his head.

He stood with a golden bow in hand, looking at an empty quiver, the young man had an outraged look on his face. "Anteros! What have you done with my Arrows!?" He shouted out. Then a youthful and divine looking woman similar to him emerged into the palace.

"Cupid? Is something wrong?" She asked, the one known as Cupid turned to face her.

"Anteros is in big trouble." He told her with an angry expression. The winged divine then slung his quiver over his shoulder and took a running leap off of the edge of the palace, spreading his wings and flying off in a seemingly aimless direction, after the one known as Anteros.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 21 wrapped up. Things happened. Morgana and Abaddon have shared interests in fighting the Templar Ranger now, both for different reasons and Abaddon is more or less on magical life support now. Merlin fears the coming of the demon prince and there's the intimidating presence of the Blackspire, the new base for the villains, that rises above the clouds to strike fear into Castelan's citizens. As for the ending, that's a preview for the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Anteros**

 **Synopsis: Valentine's Day is upon us and despite the imposing presence of a demonic superstructure near the town, the citizens are coping well and getting on with the annual holiday. Sadly, life isn't that easy as Anteros and Cupid, two sides to a coin come to the town and one causes chaos on the day while the other tries to fix the entire mess, but what will happen when the rangers unknowingly become involved in another feud that dates back centuries? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	23. Chapter 22: Anteros

Ch22: Anteros

It was morning in Castelan and Aaron had gotten up early to practice outdoors in the woods. Ever since his fight with Abaddon, he has wanted to better himself so that he can take on such a powerful opponent.

He was meditating on top of a rock, while he was improving on a physical level, he also aspired to improve on a spiritual level at the same time. His eyes were closed and nothing could break him out of his focused state.

Behind the bushes stood a character that looked a lot like Cupid, the only differences were that he had butterfly wings and held a silver bow, and where cupid had gold adornments, this one had silver instead. This was without a doubt Anteros. The divine had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Time to cause some trouble!" He enthused. Anteros proceeded to bring out a completely black arrow with a heart shaped arrowhead.

He placed the arrow in the bow and draw it back, aiming for the ranger's left side, where his heart was. Releasing the string, the arrow flew through the air and pierced the ranger straight through the heart. Aaron didn't even flinch, didn't feel it happen. Then it dissolved, leaving the ranger to his business.

Anteros had a wicked grin on his face now. "My brother's arrows work marvellously in my hands, especially when I work my magic on them. Now I just have to distribute the rest of these arrows throughout this tow and my brother's holiday will be ruined!" He laughed, before floating off.

The ranger finished his meditation and got up off of the rock he sat upon. He felt a strange headache, almost painful, then it subsided and he shrugged it off before heading back to the command center.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Being a special time of year the school was decorated in hearts and flowers and other typical Valentine's Day decorations. Aaron was walking down the hall with Percy, catching up between lessons.

"So tell me all about this weird tradition the school has then." Aaron said to his friend, who had recovered since being hit with the powerful spell.

"Well, it started because they say that the water here is magical and that the fountain outside holds magical properties itself. Nobody knows who started the whole thing but you saw for yourself what people do on the way in." Percy told him.

"They were writing on valentine's cards and dipping the point of the heart into the water, care to explain?" He asked as they stopped by the two's lockers.

"It's said if you do that, then whoever sees it, if they accept it, is the one you're destined to be with forever." Percy explained. A small smirk came from the others face.

"Ever work for you?" Aaron joked.

"Nah, I don't deal with the taboo, kinda ironic seeing as we fought a demon a short while ago but still." He laughed back. "I gotta get off now. See you later." He waved, the other ranger gave a wave back and opened his own locker.

When he did, out fell a small valentine's card. Aaron proceeded to pick it up and read it, as he did, a minor headache kicked in. When he finished reading it, he shook his head and tore it in two, slamming his locker shut afterwards and walking away.

A minute or two later, the white ranger approached and picked the torn card up, a devastated look on her face. Lexa was walking by and noticed her stood there.

"Hey, what's up-" She cut off, noticing that the card was torn and decided to give her friend a consoling hug.

Aaron had made his way to hid lunch room, he had become angry for no reason and it was getting worse. Anyone who decided to give him a card would walk away before he tore it in two.

"I hate this, day. I hate love, I gotta get outta here and hit something." He said to himself in a low voice. Then he got up and stormed out, an angry expression on his face.

 **[Castelan Streets]**

Aaron roamed the streets, in almost all out anger. Any time he came across love being expressed by anyone, he would go out of his way to ruin it, or completely destroy it, he wasn't even thinking any more. It wasn't just him doing it any more though. Throughout the town, people have completely changed and began tearing apart anything to do with the holiday and love.

Aaron stopped in the middle of the park as a figure descended from the skies. Anteros gave a mischievous smile as he saw the ranger.

"Seems one of these thralls is actually useful for once." He said to himself before turning to Aaron.

"What is your will?" The teen asked, bowing his head to the boyish god.

"I want you to wreak havoc on this town using your powers, now go!" He commanded, flying off to turn more people to his cause.

Aaron gave a nod and went through his usual sequence of movements to morph before transforming into the Templar Ranger. He gave a dark laugh. "I know just where to begin." The ranger had a maniacal smirk underneath his helmet.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

The five remaining rangers were sat outside on one of the many benches in the outdoor seating area. Emlie was down in the dumps while the others tried to comfort her and figure out what was happening, the incident hadn't happened just once and was no doubt the work of someone or something that likes to cause misery.

"Could it be the work of Morgana, this whole thing reeks of magic, surely it has to be her fault, right?" Tyson suggested, Ben shook his head.

"If it was, she would've been injuring people instead of breaking their hearts. I don't see any gains made by them doing this. It has to be someone or something else." He told his larger friend.

"Then who?" Percy asked, trying to figure it out. The black ranger shrugged.

Then Tyson stood up and looked at the others. "I think we might have bigger problems right now." He told them pointing at a group of terrified individuals. When they fled, there stood the Templar Ranger, waving his sword at the numerous high school students who fled in terror.

The five of them looked on in disbelief. Aaron turned to see them and held his head as a painful headache came over him, when it subsided, he advanced on them.

Percy looked around and saw that there were now only four of them and that the white ranger was now gone, leaving them to fend off their leader.

"Aaron, I don't wanna do this." Percy said, trying to talk him down.

"But I do." Aaron said with a dark tone, attempting to slash at the rangers who jumped back in response.

"Then you leave us no choice." Percy said and nodded to the others who pulled out their Totem morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" They called, morphing into their ranger suits. Their mythic blades pointed to their leader.

 **[Castelan Streets]**

Emlie sat on a bench sobbing to herself as chaos ensued around her, yet she didn't care about what was going on. Then almost out of nowhere, Cupid appeared, minus his wings and still wearing his toga. He sat beside the teen.

"Hey there. You look upset, did something happen?" He asked in a soothing voice. Emlie stopped crying and looked to her side to see Cupid sat next to her. Without a word from the girl, Cupid spoke up. "I understand. You confessed your love to someone and they tore your heart out. I would say it was a common thing, if it wasn't Anteros' doing that is, it's rather evident from what's happening all around town." Cupid explained.

"Who is Anteros?" She asked lifting her head up to show it was red from all the crying.

"He is the ancient god of counter-love. I am Cupid, god of love. The arrows I use each year to spread love can be used by him. In his hands they become tainted, makes people his minions, he causes them to become hateful and attack any expression or notion of love." He explained once more.

"So how do we reverse it?" She asked.

"You already believe me? He questioned. "Never mind. Anyway, this isn't the first time it's happened. Every few hundred years, he steals my love arrows and uses them to cause chaos and destruction instead of spreading love and joy. I devised a counter to this, creating a 'super' love arrow. Once fired, it will cause a chain reaction which will hit everyone in the vicinity of it. The catch is, I don't have the arrow, Anteros stole that too. It is warded so he cannot taint it with his magic, but we need to get it from him." He explained to the white ranger.

"Let's go find Anteros then." She told him, getting up.

"So decisive, I like it." Cupid laughed, standing up and spreading his no longer concealed wings.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Aaron slashed Ben to the ground with his sword and the black ranger demorphed and lied there. Lexa tried running in at him, yet the Templar Ranger stuck his leg out and tripped the pink ranger over. As Lexa got up she was struck along her back with the blade and fell to the floor before demorphing.

"Two down, two to go." Aaron laughed as he approached.

Percy lifted up a bench using telekinesis and threw it towards his leader, who simply slashed in in half as he advanced. Tyson ran in at his opponent and began slashing rapidly, Aaron dodged most of the attacks but was slashed from the side by the large yellow ranger. Aaron let out a grunt before charging at Tyson and throwing out vicious and fast strikes that the other couldn't keep up with. Eventually Tyson succumbed to his injuries and collapsed before demorphing.

Percy was on his own now and knew that he couldn't beat his comrade. Yet he had to try. Percy charged in and locked blades with Aaron. The two held their weapons tightly and pushed against each other.

"Aaron, you don't have to do this, just give up. We can help you, whatever is happening to you, you need to fight it." Percy bargained.

The other ranger gave a sigh. "I know I don't have to do this, I Want to do this." He told Percy before letting out a roar and slashing with inhuman strength at the blue ranger. Percy collapsed to the ground and demorphed. As his vision faded, he saw Aaron demorph and stand over him with a malevolent smirk.

 **[Castelan Bank Rooftop]**

Sat atop the flat roof, legs dangling over the edge and swinging about, was Anteros. Every so often he would shoot someone with a corrupted arrow and turn them into another one of his psychopathic minions. Then the door to the stairwell opened up and out stepped Emlie and Cupid.

"Brother!" Cupid called, catching his darker counterpart's attention.

Anteros stood up and began a slow mocking clap while walking towards them. "Very good Cupid. You finally found me. You were always the slower one, took you a while to catch on, didn't it?" He mocked.

"This ends here Anteros!" Cupid declared.

"I concur dear brother." Anteros laughed and snapped his fingers, from behind the stairwell stepped out Aaron. He was unmorphed. "I see you have a little pet of your own, allow me to introduce you to mine." He said. "Sick 'em" Anteros called. The ranger did so and began fighting the white ranger while Cupid ran at Anteros.

The two divines began fighting, using their bows as weapons to strike and block each other with. While that was going on, the two rangers were locked in hand to hand combat.

Emlie tried hitting Aaron but as her fist came near, he grabbed a hold of her fist and began twisting her arm. She let out a painful scream as he did so. Cupid looked back for a second before turning his attention back to his brother.

"You monster! Why would you do this at all? Love was created to be the most powerful thing, then you came along and tainted it, now it takes nothing short of the most powerful weapon in existence to stop this." Cupid called, swinging at his brother with his bow.

"You don't get it. For centuries, you've been noticed and worshiped as the bringer of joy, nobody ever cared about me, I may as well have not existed, But when I had heard of a way to claim my rightful place, I took it, and I shall keep taking it until I am the one who is worshipped!" Anteros said attacking his brother.

"Is that all this is? You want attention, every time you do this. It's because you have some lust for power? What is wrong with you? You would destroy countless chances at happiness just so you feel better about yourself! That is unacceptable!" Cupid said, furious.

Emlie was on the ground now Aaron loomed over her, his fist ready to strike. "Aaron… Please stop… I can't take this anymore…" She pleaded.

He was about to swing but froze in place. Then he lifted his hands to his head. "I can't do it… I can't hurt…" He let out a painful scream as dark energy began to come out of him and dissipate. Then he dropped to his knees.

As he did, a heart arrow, no longer tainted, dropped to the floor. Cupid saw his and turned to his brother. "Seems you power isn't as strong as either of us thought." Anteros looked over in disbelief. "If he broke free, it's over, give in." Cupid reasoned.

"All of my work… Centuries… All for nothing…" Anteros said and dropped to his knees.

Cupid picked up his arrows and removed the dark taint from them. Then he walked to the two rangers. "You did well young one." He said to the white ranger.

"Thanks." she said in reply. "Will he be okay?" She asked, concerned for Aaron.

"I see this is the one you were crying over earlier. Yes, he'll be fine." Cupid smiled. "Now there's one last thing I need you to do." He said, pulling out a heart arrow surrounded by a golden glow. "Take the arrow and my bow." He said handing it to her.

"Why?" Emlie asked, confused as to what he was doing.

"I created the arrow yet I cannot use it. Only someone with love in their heart can. That is how I designed it. As a god I cannot love, but merely observe. I have found you worthy, and for that, you must fire the bow, high into the sky and unleash its magic, to free those corrupted from this curse.

Emlie gave a nod and drew the bow back and aimed it high into the sky. Without a second thought, she let the string go and the arrow fired high, building a pink aura around it as it got higher. Then in a bright flash, a large disk of energy grew outward from where the arrow was and began falling onto the town below.

All around people began to recover and head to the ones they loved. Cupid looked at the ranger and gave a smile. "You have done well today. So now I shall give you a gift." He held out his hand which had a gold necklace with a heart shape on it. "If you ever need me, just wear this and think of me and I shall come to your aid." He said before walking over and grabbing his brother by the arm. "Thank you and goodbye." He smiled and flew off with his brother in tow.

 **[Blackspire Exterior]**

Reaper was arguing with Morgana at the base of the spire. "Why does Abaddon make me work with you? It's a simple recon mission to see what all this chaos is! It's daft." He complained.

"Perhaps it's because you're an imbecile." Morgana insulted the old man, laughing as she did.

"Maybe you are powerful and competent, but I have loyalty." Reaper countered.

"Perhaps to yourself" Morgana remarked. As she did, the pink energy fell onto them both. Morgana shrugged it off. "Bah! Weak magic! It cannot affect me, whoever the fool who did that is, they will pay." Morgana declared.

Reaper on the other hand had been affected and was now infatuated with the sorceress. "Morgana! Come here and give me a hug!" He said running at her arms wide.

"What the hell Reaper!?" She asked, running away from the other villain.

"Don't be like that Honey, I know you love me too!" Reaper exclaimed.

"Oh god, I'd rather be working with those wretched rangers right now than having to deal with, this." She complained as she kept running from the villain.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

The day after the events of the unfortunate valentine's day, everything was roughly back to normal, and thankfully no one had seen the rangers or who they were. Emlie opened her locker and a note dropped out

"What's this?" She asked as she began to read it.

 _Hey Emlie, It's Aaron. I'm sorry for what I did yesterday when I wasn't myself and it wasn't fair on you at all. I know you sent me a card and I ripped it in half as soon as I saw it. I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know._

She had a smile on her face. 'At least he isn't a jerk, unlike some people I know.' She thought as she closed her locker and headed off.

 **[Secluded Mountain]**

"And that's the whole story." Cupid said as he finished recounting the story to the woman, who looked similar to them, that stood before the two brothers.

"And what Do you have to say for yourself Anteros?" She asked

"I'm sorry Aphrodite." He said to the woman known as Aphrodite.

"You're lucky Ares isn't here, or you'd be getting a lot more than a grounding. Now go to your room, you're grounded for the next century!" She said in a harsh tone. Anteros had a glum look and fluttered off. "Oh and good work Cupid, you did me proud today." She gave a smile to the young god.

"Thank you mother!" He smiled and flew off to do his own thing.

"Ah, boys can be a handful sometimes, especially when they're immortal with the minds of twelve year olds." She sighed and laughed.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that is Chapter 22. A bit different than usual. Not the typical valentine's themed episode but I wanted to emphasise a darker theme. While Anteros isn't out for power in the actual mythology, I thought I'd twist it a bit. That's all for now, I'll see you all next time.**

 **Next Chapter: Merlin**

 **Synopsis: The rangers face a new kind of monster and find it far too difficult to defeat, will a certain character finally reveal his identity and aid the rangers in dealing with the new wave of attacks coming at them? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	24. Chapter 23: Merlin

Ch23: Merlin

The beginning of March had finally come and spring was just beginning, the days were longer and it was finally getting warmer. The rangers have been enjoying the downtime since the inactivity of their enemies, but this was but the calm before the storm.

Aaron and his father stood outside a rather modern looking building, it had an outlandish design with curves and edges going all over the place, and most of the walls appeared to be made of glass. Outside, there were an array of boxes and movers that were taking the boxes in.

Lord Du Lac turned to his son. "So, how do you like our new home? It's more modern than our last one, and I spared no expense in getting all of this furniture here in time for us to move in. Since everything we owned was in the manor, and that burned down, we don't have anything sentimental left. But a fresh start is better than nothing." He said.

"The house looks good. I'm gonna go back to the command center soon and retrieve the things I have there, you okay here for a while?" Aaron asked.

"Of course I am, now go. As I've told you before, you're welcome to come and go as you please." He reassured, Aaron looked at him and nodded.

"Okay, I'll be back for dinner." He replied.

"You're welcome to bring your friends along if you want." He said as his son waved, heading off in the direction of their base.

 **[Blackspire]**

Prince Abaddon brooded whilst sat on his obsidian throne. Then Morgana entered, kneeling at the throne and bowing to her master.

"My Lord, it is finally time. I have used my magic on the shadowgate. It is no longer a gateway to purgatory, it is a gateway to the demon realm. A gateway to your home. Alas it is only one way and can only summon in mass, lesser demons. However we can summon individual greater demons too. What is your will?" She asked.

"Bring out lesser demons, they shall serve us better than those weak Shades used by my predecessor. When we have them in mass, I wish you to take a greater demon from my realm and send him to the outside to cause havoc, send with him a squadron of our troops." He decided, Morgana rose and smirked.

"As you wish. With the demon causing pain, the newly forged hellgate will become stronger and allow us to send out more demons to destroy this pathetic world." She said, walking away and leaving Abaddon alone.

"The rangers shall soon be gone if everything goes according to plan. But that would mean that the artefacts would be unreachable. In destroying my greatest adversaries, my ultimate victory would never come. Perhaps if they are strong enough, they can defeat my demons and lead me to what I seek." He said to himself in the dark solitude of the room.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron was in his former room, packing up everything he had, primarily clothes, into a box. Then Jamie walked in.

"Huh, so you are leaving then." He said, Aaron turned to see the young man by the door.

"Yeah, my dad decided we needed a new home so we got a modern house in that small neighbourhood with the other rich people. It looks okay, so we should be used to it soon." He explained.

"I see. Well I'm gonna miss having you here. I had gotten used to you being here. At least you'll still be coming here when you're fighting monsters." Jamie told him.

"I'll miss you too Jamie, it's been hectic for a while but it seems to be getting back to normal now. Hey, do you know where the others are? I told them I'd be moving in today and won't be around but plans change." He asked.

Jamie scratched his chin for a second. "There's an elementary school baseball game today. Most of the town goes there to watch it. Try looking there I guess." He suggested.

"Thanks. Well, I'll see you later then." Aaron said, picking up the packed box and heading off.

 **[Castelan Elementary - field]**

The sun shone brightly in the sky now, People crowded around and sat on the benches as the baseball game was being played. Aaron, who was now wearing a red sports cap and had taken off his jacket, was walking over to where the event was occurring, he heard some cheering as the ball flew high and out of view.

Finally he reached a group of teens who were cheering on one of the young players.

"Come on Max!" Tyson called out.

"You can do it little brother!" Percy cheered on.

Percy's younger brother Max was stood with bat in hand, ready to hit the ball as soon as it was pitched to him. Aaron sat beside his friends as the players got ready.

The ball was pitched and Max hit it and it flew into the air, not as far as the last one, Max began running as fast as he could as the ball began to descend. Underneath it stood a young boy from the other team, ready to catch it.

Max kept running as the ball fell, the other player held his hand out. When the ball reached his hand, it went straight past it and dropped to the floor, the boy scurried after it as it began to roll away. With a laugh, Max reached the fourth base and got a home run.

He cheered as he finished, as did everyone cheering him on, the rangers themselves stood up and gave an applause.

'That's my little bro' Percy thought.

A little while later, after the game was finished, the rangers were talking. The sun was beating down on them and Aaron looked extremely sweaty. Ben looked at the other ranger.

"Hey, Aaron, are you okay? You don't look so good." He said, worried about his teammate.

"I'll be fine. I just need a drink. It's really hot out here in the spring isn't it?" He told them.

They all gave skeptical looks. "It seems rather moderate to us." Lexa told him.

"Guess it's just to do with where I'm from, it's usually cold and even when it's warm, it's too much. I just hope it don't burst into flames come summer time." He joked. The others laughed.

"Don't worry about that, it'll be fine, you've just gotta get used to our weather." Emlie told him.

"I hope that's all I've gotta do. That aside. We're just about moved in now and my dad said it'd be a good idea for you all to come to the new house and have dinner. About eight o'clock if that's alright for everyone." He asked them.

"Sure, if you're cooking that is." Lexa said, rubbing her hands together with a grin.

"I will be." He and the others chuckled. The rest of the rangers agreed and began talking about something else when they heard screams.

"Looks like something's kicking off." Percy said.

"Think its Morgana?" Tyson asked to which the others shrugged.

"Only one way to find out." Aaron said, running off in the direction of the screams.

 **[Command Center]**

As the alarm sounded off, signifying a monster attack, Jamie and Merlin looked at the screen as a new kind of monster, with a new kind of minion assaulted the citizens of Castelan.

The lead demon was that of a tall stature, charcoal skin and searing red eyes, two tusk-like teeth protruded from its jaw standing upwards. The demon was bare chested, with a recent brand upon its body. The brand was the symbol of Abaddon, which was a wheel with eight arrowhead designs coming out of it like compass points. The demon wore dark and jagged metal armour on the lower half of its body and wielded a distorted axe and mace its hands.

Behind the demon walked a group of what appeared to be weaker monsters. They had red skin and wore jagged 'bucket' helmets that obscured their faces, yet they appeared to be human in stature. They each wore heavy jagged metal armour and wielded longsword styled cleaver weapons stained with blood.

As Jamie observed the creatures, Morgana appeared from the shadows and nodded to the demon leading the monstrous band. The tech specialist looked around to see no sign of Merlin. Then he turned his attention back to the screen where a battle was about to begin.

 **[Castelan Streets]**

The six rangers arrived on scene to find Morgana and the monsters destroying the environment again.

"Called it!" Tyson smirked, to which Lexa gave him a thump in the ribs.

"Looks like she got herself some new minions." Aaron observed as the group of enemies came closer.

"Rangers, good to see you again." The sorceress said in a sarcastic tone.

"So, Morgana, are you going to introduce you to your new friends?" Aaron asked as they all prepared fighting stances.

"Oh where are my manners. These are Thralls, the replacements for those useless shades you have been fighting for a while now. And this prime example is Berserker, one of many demons in service to Abaddon. Have fun now, and make sure you hurt them." Morgana smiled, talking to the demons.

Berserker gave a roar and twirled his weapons as the Thralls charged in, raising their weapons.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" The teens called, morphing into their ranger suits before the Thralls made contact with them, raising their blades to stop the monsters.

Aaron slashed at one and sent it back, only for it to run at him and attack with more force than last time. The ranger managed to raise his guard in time to stop a blow from his opponent, but he struggled to keep his footing.

The others weren't having such an easy time either. Tyson had managed to use his blade and his brute strength to break free and now was slashing his opponent rapidly. Then he slashed his blade in an upwards motion and sliced off the Thrall's arm. A glowing red energy began oozing from the wound and the Thrall imploded till there was no trace of it. The others noticed this.

"Looks like if we decapitate these things, their power leaks out and they destroy themselves. The only issue is that they're strong and their armour is thick, we have to strike at their weaker points." Ben told the others.

"It's better than nothing." Emlie said, spinning and striking the demonic enemy, cutting off its head and watching it implode.

"Then let's get to it!" Aaron ordered. He switched from a defensive stance to an offensive one where he parried the cleaver blade out of the hand of the Thrall and sliced it off of its legs.

The rangers continued to counter the Thralls, using brain over brawn, in most cases, to keep harm from coming to themselves and defeat the thralls efficiently.

Percy struck a Thrall in the back with his blade and pulled it out, which caused the Thrall to implode. "Looks like that works too." He said as the group lined back up to face Berserker after finishing off the Thralls.

"I have to admit, they are a step up from the Shades." Tyson told the others as they focused on their last enemy.

"Well done rangers! You managed to defeat the weakest demons in my master's service." Morgana mocked. "Now face a true warrior." She said, turning to Berserker. "Now end them." She ordered in a darker tone.

Berserker gave a grunt, raised his weapons and stomped forward. Tyson went against the demon first, brute strength against brute strength. The yellow ranger swung his blade at Berserker. The demon warrior simple blacked it with his axe and knocked it to the side. He proceeded to swing the mace at the defenceless ranger. As he did so, a fiery aura surrounded the demonic weapon and it struck Tyson, sending him to the floor and demorphing him.

"He's powerful, watch it." Aaron warned the others.

Lexa paid no attention to her leader's words and ran in. "If strength can't beat you, maybe speed can." She said as she charged in.

Berserker swung his axe, but Lexa ducked under the blade and slashed at her opponent's legs. She saw the mace swinging down at her, so she rolled out of the way and stood up again, only to be struck from behind by the axe which too was currently imbued with the fiery aura. Lexa too fell to the ground and demorphed, unable to get up.

"We have to think of a new game plan, he's dangerous to fight alone." Aaron told the others.

"How about we all attack at once? Keep him occupied and wear him down." Percy suggested.

"Sorry to say this but Ben's already fighting him. Said he was buying us time to think of something. We've gotta get in there now." Emlie told the other two who nodded and the other three ran to the aid of the black ranger.

Unfortunately, as they arrived, Berserker struck Ben with both of his flaming weapons, making him fall and demorph.

"We're too late. Looks like we'll just have to beat him as a three." Aaron told them as they readied their weapons and began fighting Berserker.

Aaron and Percy were holding their own against the demon, using their blades to deflect slashes from his mace and axe. Meanwhile Emlie was moving around their opponent and attacking where she saw an opening. When she headed behind the demon, she saw the demon had stopped noticing her and took the opportunity to try and kick the demon in the head. When she swung her leg around, Berserker ducked just in time and caused her to fall, going off balance.

Then the demon jumped back and let out a paralysing roar, the three remaining rangers tried to move, but were trapped where they were stood as the demon charged up his flaming weapons. With a dual slash, a fiery beam was sent towards them, exploding and knocking them back on impact, causing the last of them to demorph.

Morgana let out a laugh. "This is great! You're all so weak, so pathetic! Finish them." She ordered. With another grunt, the warrior nodded and charged up his flaming weapons.

As he was about to strike, an old man in a worn grey cloak holding a long wooden carved staff stepped in front of the rangers. Berserker didn't care and unleashed his flaming blast once more. The man raised the staff and a resonating blue-green barrier formed in front of him. When the fiery barrage stopped, the barrier subsided, not a scratch on him.

Morgana's eyes widened. "What! How can this be!?" She asked in disbelief.

The old man spoke up. "Still as ignorant as ever Morgana." He said.

"How do you know my name old man!" She demanded.

"Don't you recognise me?" He asked, pulling off his worn grey robe.

The man had a shiny long white beard, and long pristine white hair. His eyes were a shimmering regal blue, he wore a blue and gold robe, adorned with arcane symbols similar to that upon his staff.

"I have waited for this moment since you disappeared an age ago. I have been eager for this meeting since you resurfaced. Now we shall see who the better magic wielder is." He told her, she stared on in disbelief.

"It can't be! You were gone! I saw you go!" She yelled out in fear. "This will not be our battle warlock!" Morgana yelled to him and disappeared back into the shadows she usually lurked in.

"A pity. I guess I shall have to settle for dealing with this demon." He pointed his staff towards Berserker and began chanting a few ancient words. As he did, a whirlwind of fire and water burst out of the end of the staff and struck Berserker head on.

When it subsided, the mage turned around and tapped his staff on the floor. To which the demon reacted and exploded, in the flames, the image of a malevolent soul rose up to the skies and vanished.

 **[Command Center]**

The rangers and mentor stood looking at the old man and his new appearance. Wonder just exactly who he was.

"I understand you have many questions. Allow me to answer them. I have showed you things a mere old wise man would never know or understand. The truth is, I am centuries old. You heard on the battlefield that Morgana and I have crossed paths before. That is because she and I are enemies, we can never truly die and are thus locked in an unending conflict. This is the first time in a long time that I have encountered her. You may be wondering just who I am then. Well, I have gone by many names in my lifetime, but the most famous of these is Merlin." He told them.

"You men from the time of King Arthur?" Aaron asked, to which he received a nod.

"Lancelot knew me. I urged him to keep it a secret from you till the time was right. Until she resurfaced I could not reveal my true identity. Yet now the stakes are much higher, to defeat these monsters you will require something stronger than anything you have. And I know exactly where to get it." He explained to them.

 **[Du Lac Residence]**

After a well needed meal, the rangers were playing a game of monopoly in the living area. Aaron stepped outside onto the porch for a minute. He gave a sigh and lowered his head. Then he heard the door open and someone step outside.

"Hey, you okay?" Emlie asked as she walked over to where he was and stood beside him.

"Yeah, just thinking things through. I beat Abaddon weeks ago but that was at his weakest state. Facing this demon, it was like nothing we've fought before. We were wiped out. I want to get stronger, but if that was just the first of a new wave of enemies, I don't know if I can do it." He said, unsure of himself.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll be strong enough. I know it. Even if you might need a power boost you have something on your side that he doesn't family, friendship. Your humanity." She said. He gave a smile.

"Thanks for the reassurance. Now let's go back inside." He said. She made her way for the door as he looked up to the sky. 'No matter how tough you are Abaddon, watch out, I'm not giving up that easily' He thought, looking at the crescent moon in the sky before heading back inside to re-join the game.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 23 over and done with. Aaron finally gets a new home so he can finally act like a normal teen again, I introduced the new minions known as Thralls which are much harder to beat than the Shades and Merlin kicked some butt, plus he has a cunning plan in the works, what could possibly go wrong? That's it for now, to the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Morgana**

 **Synopsis: Merlin puts his plan into action and calls out Morgana under the premise of an ancient magic law. The results of the battle don't quite go as the mage expects, but will change how the Mythos rangers fight their new demonic enemies forever. (This is a significant chapter that will lead onto the second act, which will be the equivalent to a second season)**


	25. Chapter 24: Morgana

Ch24: Morgana

Deep within the spire, morgana sat upon the cold floor of a dark stone room, only candles, placed in a circle around the sorceress, illuminated her. In front of her was the rustic metal artefact, shaped like a matchbox, she had taken from the vault inside the manor.

Soon enough, the magic she controlled manifested itself as a field of energy around the circle of candles. Then the relic began to float in the air as Morgana uttered ancient words. The metal box began spinning as particles of energy began to radiate from it. Then a bright light flashed from the object.

Then the object slowed down, dimming as it did. When it came to a halt, Morgana grabbed the object from the air as the magical field. The ancient tool was no longer as it once was, It was primarily black, along the front of it ran a thick green line with what appeared to be golden branches coming off and winding around the front of the object.

The dark sorceress gave a devious smile. "The rangers, and Merlin, won't know what hit them. They shall fall to me."

Morgana looked into the object, now brimming with newfound life, She had full confidence in whatever she was up to.

 **[Du Lac Residence]**

On another nice morning in the town of castelan, Aaron Du Lac awoke to an alarm buzzing. Surprised at the unexpectedness of the alarm, and the fact that he even had an alarm now, the young ranger jumped from his bed and his covers flew off and onto the floor.

Turning the alarm off and after a few minutes getting dressed, he went downstairs and began work on some breakfast. Being a school day, he only had time to make toast. He presumed his dad was out securing family assets after he had announced his return to his company after his absence.

Then his phone buzzed and he took it out and began reading the text that had been sent to him. While he was in the middle of reading the text, the toast popped up out of the toaster and made a loud enough noise to startle the ranger and his phone flew out of his hand and hit the floor.

The ranger picked it up and looked it over. To his relief he found it intact. "Good thing it's a nokia" He said to himself as he slid it back into his pocket and headed over to prepare his toast.

 **[Sacred Springs high]**

Aaron arrived to school rather quickly as people were getting to class. As he walked into the main building, he noticed his friends weren't at the entrance waiting for him as usual and would've headed off by now. As he walked down, he noticed his mentor and history teacher standing in the hall looking at his watch.

As the ranger neared, the older man looked up and noticed Aaron approaching, he then signalled for Aaron to follow him into a room, Aaron then saw it had 'Principal's Office' written on the door.

The teen wasn't sure how to react but after a few seconds went into the room to see the principal and Doctor Blake stood in the office while someone younger than the two was sat down with her head away from Aaron.

"Ah, Aaron. Good to see you again. Don't worry you're not in trouble, we have a proposition for you. doctor, if you'd explain." The principal told the young man who had a blank look on his face.

"So, usually we have a system for exchange students such as yourself. But given the unforeseen circumstances that happened to you since your arrival, we left you to work things out on your own. What we usually do is have a student guide the new student through their transition into their school life here. It's entirely up to you but you'd be doing a big favour for this student." He explained.

"I see, and what would I be doing exactly?" Aaron asked, thinking it over.

"The student would be put onto the same timetable as you and you'd be showing them the different areas and getting them used to the school and helping them out in class. They'd have to be with you constantly at school though as you'd be responsible for them." Doctor Blake elaborated on the subject.

"Hmm…" He paused for a few seconds. "I might as well give it a go!" Aaron answered confidently, even though he was worried he'd mess it up somehow.

"I thought you'd be up to the challenge. Now then, Aaron, meet the new student." He said, waving his hand towards the young woman sat down. AS the teacher did so, the young woman turned around and stood up.

She was slim at 5'6" her skin was rather light and she had vibrant green eyes. She had long flowing brown hair that went just past her shoulders. The teen wore a tight fitting light yellow tank top, over it was a small brown leather jacket, she had light grey skinny jeans on and wore a pair of black flats.

"This is Vala Stross, she comes from Germany and is the cousin of one of my associates. Vala, this is Aaron Du Lac. He came from England a while back and he's adjusted well. I'm sure he'll be a good friend for you soon enough." The mentor introduced the two.

"Hi there." She said, her German accent rather strong.

"Hello to you too." Aaron greeted, holding his hand out which she shook in response. "So, the first class is starting soon, there's time for a quick tour of the school if you want, or we could just get to class." He suggested.

Vala pondered it for a moment. "Whatever's better." She replied. With a nod, Aaron turned and left through the door with Vala following close behind.

 **[Command Center]**

Merlin sat in his chamber, meditating. When he opened his eyes they were completely white as if he was wielding a powerful kind of magic.

'The time has come Morgana! It is time for us to duel once more. Under the druidic laws I challenge you to magical combat on the neutral and hallowed ground that is the obelisk, within Castelan's public woods. When the battle is over, only one shall remain.' He challenged, sending his thoughts over a long distance.

 **[Blackspire]**

Morgana was sat down in her chambers after she had heard the message from her nemesis. She was pondering the situation. 'No doubt that Merlin will do everything in his power to stop me. He'll bring those rangers along and I'll be dealing with them all, unless I bring some backup along.' A devilish smirk came across her face. 'Of course, it's time to free one of Abaddon's commander's.' She finished, rising and heading out of her chamber.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Lunch came quickly and five of the six rangers were sat down eating lunch while waiting for Aaron to show up.

"So anyone know why Aaron's being a ghost, I haven't seen him at all today." Ben asked the others.

While the others shrugged, Percy spoke up. "I was in a lesson with him earlier, he gave a nod to me at some point but he didn't say anything and he was taking it easy, talking to some girl all the way through the lesson, Thing is I have no idea who she is." He informed them all.

Just as the blue ranger finished, Aaron began walking towards them, just behind him was the aforementioned girl. When they got to the group of five, the rangers sat down just stared at Vala.

"Um, guys? You in there?" He asked, noticing them all staring at the young woman. After a few more seconds, they all directed their attention towards their leader. "Guys, this is Vala Stross. I was asked by Doctor Blake and the Principal to help her transition into the school easier, something they apparently do here." He explained.

"Ah, they've got you doing that then, makes sense." Tyson said, now understanding it all.

"Vala, these are my friends. Tyson, Ben, Percy, Lexa and Emlie." He introduced pointing to each one as he said their names.

"Well it's nice to meet you all." She said with a smile. Then she lightly grabbed a hold of Aaron's arm. "You said you were gonna show me the gym at lunch, remember." She informed the ranger that realised he did say it.

"Ah, yeah. Let's get going then." He said. "I'll see you guys later." He said. heading off.

Vala had a smirk on her face as she looked at the five teens sat down and turned to walk after Aaron, she seemed to be looking down at a certain area on the ranger's body as she walked behind him.

When the two were out of earshot, Emlie spoke up. "Percy, you neglected to mention that she's extremely pretty." She said to the blue ranger with a slightly irritated voice.

"On top of that she's a total Pervert, you guys saw her as they walked off, right?" He said.

In a hushed tone so that the boys couldn't here, Lexa elbowed Emlie and told her. "Looks like you've got some competition." She said it with a grin. The white ranger only groaned in response.

 **[Blackspire]**

In the throne room of the Blackspire, Morgana stood in front of the seated Abaddon with another individual beside her.

"Lord Abaddon, may I present to you one of your greatest underlings. Fleruty, Lieutenant General of your army. I have called upon him to lead your armies. But first I will need him for a field test under a personal matter." She announced to the demon prince.

"Do as you will Morgana. It is good to see you again Fleruty, it has been long but I trust you will serve me well, and if you find yourself losing in this test of her's retreat as soon as you can. I would hate to lose my right hand." He told the two.

Fleruty was human in appearance, he is muscular with a fair complexion. Out of his back sprouted two large and weathered wings. They were black-gilded and the feathers themselves were sanguine red. He had long curly blonde hair that went below his shoulders. He was clad in dark jagged metal armour and wore a metallic circlet with the insignia of Abaddon as the centerpiece of the headwear.

"As you wish master. I shall be cautious. I am told that I am not at full strength after just being released." Fleruty obeyed.

"Good, now leave me and complete your task." Abaddon ordered, waving them off.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

The final bell for the day rang and the students began pouring out of the entrance. Vala was sat on one of the low walls talking with Aaron.

"So according to my teacher, I have to keep on with this guidance thing for the next month. So let's meet up here before school then, it's more convenient for us." He told her, she gave a nod. "I gotta go now though, see you later." He said waving as he went.

"See you tomorrow!" She shouted as he left, waving to him.

As Aaron turned a corner walking down the street, he received a message off of Jamie.

 _Communicators are down while I'm doing some maintenance on my systems. Merlin wants you all to meet him here._

There was a picture of a large stone rising out of the ground with a path around it and two paths leading off in different directions.

Aaron quickly replied back and headed off to the site.

 **[The Obelisk]**

Merlin and the six rangers stood on one side of the towering stone slab. Then from the other path came Morgana and Fleruty. As the two came into the view of the rangers, Morgana gave a smirk.

"Rangers, I knew Merlin would bring you along. So I brought my own surprises." She said, waving her hand at the demonic General. "This is Fleruty, Second to Abaddon." She introduced. "But wait there's more." The sorceress said, producing the black, green and gold object.

"Merlin, what is that?" Aaron asked, cautious about what was about to happen.

"No! It can't be!" The warlock said in disbelief.

"Oh but it is." Morgana laughed as she held the engraved cuboid in front of her with both hands. "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" She called as her body began to become absorbed by green energy as the golden branches began crawling along her body, then the light became blinding and the rangers shielded their eyes as it hit them.

When it subsided Morgana's usual appearance was gone. In her place was that of a power ranger. She had a green suit, her body had a vest-like appearance to it with separate white sleeves going down her arms, green gloves at the end of them. On her shoulders were two rounded and thin pauldrons. Her legs were all green and a white tailcoat with a golden trimming came down from her suit. Around her wrists and at the top of her boots were golden bands, styled like thin branches twined together. Around her waist was a golden belt in a similar fashion with a circular buckle that had a leaf adorned upon it. Her helmet was green with a golden trim around the visor, which was shaped like a leaf with a small silver mouthpiece upon it which was outlined in gold. In her hand was the staff of Morrigan.

"Warrior of Nature, Dryad Ranger!" She called as the rangers looked at her in shock.

"Morgana! You know that artefact was sealed for a reason! With the staff of Morrigan you've doomed us all, no one can handle the raw power of the Dryad and the Faye combined, if you fight you'll end this for everyone!" He exclaimed, trying to reason with her.

"Foolish Merlin, you underestimate my power." She said raising her staff.

As she did, Merlin raised his own staff. "Rangers, morph, you need to stop her, I can hold back her strongest attacks but you need to finish this battle!" He told them as an ancient circle of energy with many runes and lines began to appear, a turquoise tint to the field of battle.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" They called, morphing into their ranger suits.

"Let's do this." Aaron said, drawing his longsword as the others nodded and twirled around their own weapons.

"Power of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called.

"Power of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Tyson stood, raising his weapon to the sky.

"Power of Babylon! Mythos Pink!" Lexa posed.

"Power of Astral! Mythos Black!" Ben called, spinning his blade around in his hand.

"Power of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie exclaimed, placing her blade on her shoulder.

"Power of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron said, holding his blade in front of him.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" They all called slashing the air with their blades.

"Fleruty, deal with these fools!" Morgana ordered, the demon general nodded and held out his hand.

His metal clawed gauntlet spontaneously combusted and grew in tremendous length. when the fire died, in his hand was a greatsword of unnatural size and appearance.

The six rangers ran in to attack Fleruty only to be knocked back by a fiery slash. As they recuperated, Aaron turned to his teammates. "I'll handle him,you guys focus on Morgana, that's why we're here." He ordered them.

"Alright, remember, if you need help, we'll be ready to aid you." Percy told him.

"And be careful." Emlie added, to which he nodded and turned to face Fleruty as the others readied themselves to attack Morgana.

"It's just you and me now." He said, pointing his sword at the demon. "Paladin Steel!" He called, adorning his holy armour.

"Ha! You wear that armour with utmost confidence, yet you are nothing. I slew the first wearer of that armour eons ago. Even in my weakened state, you shall be no match for me." Fleruty boasted.

He proceeded to raise his empty hand towards the sky, making a fist and quickly slammed it down to his side. As he did jagged rocks struck down from the sky stabbing into the ground. Aaron rolled out of the way before it hit him.

"You may have beaten the original warrior, but that's just because your time wasn't up yet! I'm gonna destroy you with one divine slash of my blade!" Aaron declared, charging up the blade which was illuminated with red energy.

Aaron slashed at his opponent but his sword was stopped before he could complete the powerful technique. Then he heard the sound of metal cutting through metal and noticed that his blade had shattered against the powerful greatsword wielded by Fleruty. The ranger staggered back.

"I believe that your time has come. Time to end you." A smirk came across his face. Yet when he raised his blade up, he froze in place.

'Fleruty, stop your attack. Return to me at once, this one is not yet ready to die, I wish to slay him myself when I am at full strength.' The voice of Abaddon called.

'I understand master. I shall return to you now.' He obeyed, answering to his master in his head.

Aaron watched as the demon lowered his weapon and walked a few feet away. "This is not over ranger." He said as he vanished in a cloud of fire.

The ranger stood up, weakened by the monster and watched as the rangers combated Morgana.

They were letting out a flurry of attacks as Morgana struggled to keep up, her ranger suit being the only thing protecting her.

"That's it!" She yelled, knocking the rangers to the ground, she sent a blast of energy at Merlin who reacted with his own blast. The rangers watched as the two beams connected and went back and forth between the two mages. Though Merlin's magic proved too strong and as Morgana exerted her power, the green orb atop her staff cracked and her power weakened, giving Merlin the upper hand. His beam of energy destroyed hers and blasted straight into the crystal due to being unable to control the power he had sent at her. Then a shockwave of green energy came out blasting everything in the vicinity, including the rangers, Merlin and Morgana.

Aaron Struggled to stay on his feet, as he collapsed to his knees, he slowly lost consciousness…

 **[Obelisk Crater]**

Where the obelisk once stood was now a crater. Aaron awoke to find himself demorphed. As he got up, he saw the other rangers on the ground, also demorphed. One by one they got up. Looking around, there was no sign of Morgana. Yet where Merlin once stood was a pile of ash.

Tyson went to help Ben up, but when their hands touched, Ben was send back by a powerful bolt of electricity.

"What was that?" He asked, looking at his hands as electricity sparked from them.

Ben got up and rubbed his back, only to feel that it was like stone. On further inspection it was in fact made of stone.

Lexa was about to say something when a powerful gust of wind came from her mouth and shredded a bush. She covered her mouth in response.

"Morgana's gonna pay for this!" Percy yelled, frustrated with what was happening to them, he punched a tree, as he did, a bubble of water formed around his hand and he punched a rather large hole in the tree.

Emlie began to radiate with blinding light as they looked at her, shielding their eyes as they did. "Guys we need to get a hold of this!" She told them the light now dying down.

Aaron came into view of the other now. His hand was completely on fire, yet it didn't seem to bother him. "She's right. We need to control this and stay calm. We should head to the command center quickly." He said as the fire became smaller, going to his index finger and then completely vanishing.

 **[Command Center]**

Jamie was looking over the Teens after they recounted the story to him and Doctor Blake. Aaron had finished his examination and Jamie had been working on a theory.

"So like I said, you need to learn to control your powers, start small and then get bigger, but the way the whole thing happened, it's possible it affected your amulets. Maybe if you take it off, the effects of the blast will stop." Jamie suggested.

Aaron caused his hand to combust as he reached for his amulet. When he took it off, the fire dissipated and though he tried, the fire wouldn't reappear.

"It's a good job I was right. Okay, I need each of you to give me your amulets for us to study. You can still be rangers, the only difference is, you won't have your abilities." He told them as they handed over their amulets.

"I guess we'll have to learn to control these new powers. If we don't then we're gonna have a harder time dealing with Abaddon and his demon army than before. Then there's Morgana, she got hit by the blast too, I'm sure she also has power like this." Aaron told them, they all nodded in reply.

 **[BlackSpire]**

Morgana sat in her chambers, a dead potted flower in her hands, when she touched the stem, the flower began to rejuvenate until it looked fresh and new. Then she gripped hold of the flower and the process reversed, Morgana felt a surge of energy through her body as the plant withered and died once more. A cruel smile appeared on her face. 'Perfect.' She thought to herself after feeling rejuvenated, taking the plant's life force for herself…

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 24 and the first Act 1 finished. We saw the introduction of Vala Stross, cousin of Welkin Stross from my other Series Steam Force. Certain rangers don't like her and she is a lot like her suave cousin and she'll be appearing often in the next act. Fleruty also made his first appearance and completely destroyed Aaron, he is one of the most powerful demons to appear in Mythos. Then the rangers were hit with a shockwave and woke up with elemental powers. Lightning, Stone, Wind, Water, Light and Fire. while Morgana now possesses the elemental power of nature. Finally all that is known of Merlin is that an ash pile stands where he stood before the explosion. So, how will they learn to adjust to using these elemental powers instead of their usual amulet powers, what trials are ahead, what mysteries lie in wake, what sacrifices have to be made? Find out in Act 2 of Power Rangers: Mythos!**

 **Now, next week there will be a brief absence of both Mythos and Steam Force. This is for a good reason. Next week will be a crossover between to two, so you'll be getting Steam Force and Mythos in one and the two teams will finally be encountering other. So here's a sneak preview of that.**

 **Steam Versus Myth**

 **Part 1: The ancient Terrasoid - When Morgana releases a monster from a rune to deal with the rangers, it so happens to be a Terrasoid from ancient times. After defeating the rangers in battle the Terrasoid infects them with mind controlling spores and returns to the Terrasoid hive where he presents the rangers to Queen Nyllia, who orders the monster to pit them against the Steam Force Rangers. Can the Steam rangers beat their Mythic counterparts and free them from the control of the monster? Find out in Steam Versus Myth.**


	26. Chapter 25: Spring Break

Ch25: Spring Break

It was now the spring break for the schools in Castelan and the rangers were enjoying some much needed downtime. Since their last battle against Morgana, they've managed to learn to control their abilities and keep them stable, but beyond that, they haven't had much success. Even when they had been training more or less every day, they could only use a minor amount of their ability or all of their potential at once, which wasn't a great improvement to their situation either.

The day was just beginning as morning broke over the town, with the Blackspire towering in the distance. For such a dramatic change, the citizens of the town were now more used to it and hadn't thought of it in a while, unfortunately it was quite prominent in the news around the country.

Percy Smith got out of his bed and rubbed his eyes. Today he was going to meet up with his friends and head down to the pool in the Castelan leisure center. He got changed, putting a deep blue sleeveless shirt on along with a pair of shorts.

Walking along the upstairs hallway of his house, he glanced into his brother's room to see his brother, Max, playing what looked like a flight simulator game, which his brother had grown interested in now.

Before heading out of the door, he pulled out his trident shaped amulet and placed it around his neck. "Looks like it's gonna be bright out." He said to himself as he looked out of the window in his kitchen before leaving the house.

 **[Castelan Leisure Center]**

The teens were gathered outside the complex, about to head in. The last to arrive was Percy as the others stood waiting. Among the six rangers was Vala Stross. After the quietness of the month that had gone by quickly, she had become part of their social group, and though some of the rangers didn't entirely like the situation, they were putting up with it as best they could.

Percy walked up and greeted them all. "How's everyone doing? We all set to get in there?" He asked.

Aaron walked up to the blue ranger. "Sure are. We better get in there before it gets packed." He told his friend.

The seven of them went into the building, separating into smaller groups to get changed.

In the women's changing room, where the girls were changing, Emlie had a pouty look on her face while she waited for the other two to get changed. She had tried to stay positive when it came to having to deal with Vala going after the same person she liked, even if it was for different motives.

Just then, the Germanic girl came and sat beside the white ranger and read her expression. "Something up?" She asked, Emlie just looked at her and then looked away with a sigh.

Unfortunately, Lexa was feeling a bit mischievous and when she was finished changing too, sat on the other side of the white ranger and looked at Vala. "She's just a little peeved with you because you're after the same person she likes."

Emlie's eyes widened at that and caused her face to go red as she put her hands over the pink ranger's mouth to stop her from saying anything else. Vala gave an amused laugh.

"I guess there's a little competition of affection then. I'm pretty sure I can win it today, all I need's a little bit of time and effort to use those seduction techniques my cousin taught me and I'll have no problems." She told the two as she walked off towards the pool.

"You seriously had to say that!?" Emlie complained, giving her friend a light slap.

Lexa's amused face then turned to an apologetic one. "Sorry for that, but without that you weren't gonna do anything. You just needed a little push to get started. Now get going!" She exclaimed pushing her friend off of the changing room bench they were sitting on. "If you waste time, you'll have to work harder." Emlie rushed out, to catch up to Vala where their competition would begin.

 **[Male Changing room]**

In the changing rooms, the guys were just about ready to head out. Tyson and Percy were talking while Aaron was talking on his phone with someone. Ben was still changing.

The Templar ranger turned to his two friends after ending the call. "Jamie just called, said he was working on something for our 'extracurricular activities' he wants one of us to go help him test some stuff." He informed the two.

Tyson stood up and headed over to the locker with his clothes in. "I'll do it, water isn't really my thing anyway. Have fun you guys." The yellow ranger told the two, taking out his clothes and going into a changing cubicle.

"Okay, now that's settled, what's taking Ben so long?" Percy asked, although they didn't have long to wait as he called to them to say that he was ready.

Looking at their friend, they saw that he was wearing a pair of black and white checkered swimming shorts and around his arms were a pair of water wings while around his waist was an inflatable rubber ring with a green smiling dragon head on the front.

The two other rangers tried to hold back their laugher at the sight. "What's with the getup." Aaron asked as the two were trying to keep the laughter in.

"I- Uh… I can't swim." Ben sighed, looking down at the floor.

"Oh…" Percy paused while he thought something over. "Then I'll teach you!" He declared.

 **[The Little Goblin]**

For the adults of this large town, there was one common goal they all shared, after a hard day's work, go to 'The Little Goblin' and enjoy a nice cold drink. It was a common socialising spot and today, it was a place for a reunion between old friends.

Lord Du Lac and Doctor Blake were sat down in a booth, taking drinks from mugs of frosty cold Little Goblin brand beer. For a bar, it was quite prosperous and owned its own brewery along with several other bars in other towns across the region. As they drank, another man sat down. On closer inspection, it was Percy's father.

"Ken! Great to see you again. It's been a long while." Doctor Blake greeted him.

"Ah it has been Kenneth. Ever since we were you know where with the others." Lord Du Lac told Ken.

"Ethan, Shaun, it's great to see you both. Just wish the others were here too. But enough of that how have you two been?" Ken asked as he began reminiscing with his friends.

 **[Command Center]**

Outside the command center, in a clearing within the woods, Jamie was running some tests with Tyson. They had set up training dummies opposite the yellow ranger and Tyson also wore his amulet.

"Okay, go ahead and fire some lightning at that first dummy." The young technician told the ranger.

Tyson nodded and sent a bolt of electricity at the dummy. Unfortunately it spiralled out of control and caused the first dummy to burst into flames on impact.

"This doesn't seem like such a good idea, you sure the next one will work, I'm not one for arson." Tyson grimaced.

Jamie shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm sure the power dampener will work."

With a slight moment of hesitation, the ranger morphed using his morpher, when he did, the suit had a large metal ring attached to the front. "You sure?" Tyson asked, worried because of the flimsy looking tech.

Giving a sigh, he shot lightning at the second one, although it surged for a second it fizzled out afterwards, leaving the dummy intact.

"Okay, give me a few minutes to tweak it and we should be good." Jamie told the ranger as he demorphed, checking over his calculations.

 **[Castelan swimming pool]**

The remaining teens were now stood at the poolside as they saw the place already becoming rather filled with other people enjoying the day.

Percy turned to the others and spoke up. "I'm gonna take Ben over to the swimming only area. Since he has no idea how to swim, I think it's best he learn now." The blue ranger told them.

As he and Ben left, Lexa called out to them in a joking manner. "Hey Ben, try not to drown!" She then turned to the three remaining teens. "So, what's everyone gonna be doing?"

Vala strutted over and lightly grabbed ahold of Aaron's arm. "I was thinking of going on that two person water slide, if someone would like to come along."

Emlie reacted to her advances on the teen by also grabbing hold of his other arm. "Well it can't be Aaron, I need someone to play a game with. I was planning on getting an inflatable ball and everything!" She cut in, the two then began to squeeze Aaron's arms tighter as they pulled him from side to side.

The ranger was getting more uncomfortable by the second as the two girls ragged him about. Thankfully, the pink ranger saved him from having his arms torn off by their feud by butting into their little argument.

"Well how about we all play ball. We'll flip a coin for teams and then play doubles, sound fair?" She suggested.

"Fine." The two said in an irritated manner, folding their arms.

Aaron gave a relieved sigh. "I'm just happy to have my arms free. At least there weren't five of you pulling on my arms. I'd envy anyone like that. At least I have Lexa to help free me."

Over at the swimming area, Ben gasped for air as his head came up out of the water. Whilst he was swimming, you would think a really unfit person was failing to swim as he went from edge to edge.

Meanwhile, in the lane next to him, Percy was doing laps upon laps in the water as the black ranger struggled to go from edge to edge. You would think he had a stamina to rival a god for the work he was doing, yet it was more likely a boon from his amulet whilst being in his natural element. He managed to do all of this while barking orders at his friend.

"No, Ben, try to keep yourself afloat like this instead of going under every few seconds. Come on! You're not gonna improve like that. It's like this, watch!"

Ben groaned as Percy was being relentless. Regardless of his intentions, it wasn't helping him at all.

The other teens were now in a rather deep area of the pool. Lexa and Aaron stood on one side whilst Emlie and Vala were on the other. The ball rested in Lexa's hands as they were about to begin. The pink ranger tossed it into the air and lightly punched it to send it towards the other two.

Emlie and Vala scrambled towards it, both claiming it and wound up running into each other going after the ball, which went behind them and floated soundly atop the water. The two gave groans as they went to retrieve the ball.

"Score one for us." Aaron said to his partner as they gave each other a fist bump.

"Okay, my turn." Emlie said, throwing the ball high in the air. It looked to be going over their opponents heads when Aaron jumped up and caught it before descending back down.

"Nice catch. Now send it home." Lexa complimented with a smile. Aaron gave a nod and launched it directly towards the two girls.

As the two reached out for it, Emlie slipped in the water and felt an extreme amount of pain as she fell back into the water. She opened her mouth in agony and her lungs began to be filled with water.

From above, Vala was shocked by the turn of events, as was Lexa. But wasting no time, Aaron dived down into the water and picked the white ranger up and carried her out of the water and onto a deck chair at the poolside. The other two girls followed on shortly.

"Well this sucks, guess I should phone up her dad about this one." Lexa said, heading to the locker room. Vala following close behind.

"Well stupid stunt or turn of bad luck, she's won round one at least. I know him well enough now to know that he's not gonna leave her there at all, he's too caring for that." She told the pink ranger.

"That's the kind a guy he is. Knight in shining armour to the rescue once again I guess." Lexa replied.

"Guess I'll just have to play the damsel in distress next time." Vala commented as she went to her locker.

 **[Lane Household]**

Mr. Lane was sat on his couch talking with his son Lucas, who was visiting on his own in his break. Just then, their conversation was interrupted by the older Lane's phone ringing. He headed into the kitchen to answer it.

After a few moments he burst out with "She's done what!?" Lucas chuckled at how protective his father still was of Emlie. As he did his phone began to ring.

"Hello? Oh, hey. Wait, slow down, you and Sarah are where? How the hell did you manage to get there, oh another one of Sona's experiments. I thought you guys were done till we got back. Okay, want me to come get you? You mean the one in Mexico!? This is why I avoid volunteering for her experiments. I'll try to do something about it, just hang tight." Lucas sighed, ending the call.

He turned around to see his dad had also finished the call. "I've gotta head out." The two said simultaneously.

"Tell mom and Em I love them. I gotta be heading back, bye dad." Lucas told the older man before running out of the door, then Mr. Lane also exited the house.

 **[The Little Goblin]**

The three men around the table had been sharing stories for a while now and were no longer sober as glasses littered the table.

"Hold-Hold on. I'm, gonna call Lohan." Ethan said in a drowsy manner. He pulled out his phone and called up the man.

"Lohan!" The three drunk men called.

"Hey Lohan, long time no-" Ken let out a burp in place of his last word.

"Ken? Ethan? Are you guys drunk?" The General asked.

"No, no, no. Just a wittle bit tipsi at the little goblin." Lord Du Lac said.

"You too Shaun? You guys are having a reunion then. Well I'd love to stay and chat but work calls." He said.

Before it cut off, another voice said something to Lohan. "Sir, here are the schematics on Zephyr that you requested. I was also informed to tell you that work is progressing well on it and it should be completed by 2029 by estimates." Then it cut off.

 **[Castelan swimming pool]**

It had been half an hour since the other teens had left, yet Percy hadn't let up and he was still putting an exhausted Ben through his paces.

"Come on now, don't get lazy!" Percy barked at the black ranger as Ben kept swimming laps. Unbeknownst to the ranger, his swimming was improving, apparently an aggressive approach did work, except it wasn't as effective as a nurturing one.

'Next time, I'm wearing the waterwings, regardless of what anyone else says' Ben thought to himself as Percy kept putting him through his paces.

 **[Blackspire]**

Morgana was sat within the dark study of the spire, sat down in front of a table with an ancient tome in front of her. Within it, it told the legend of seven ancient weapons and their use.

 _To go alongside their mythical artifact counterparts, seven magic weapons were created for their wielders so that they could fight the forces of evil more effectively as the war raged on. When the armies were sealed away into the cursed realms, these weapons were put to rest._

 _Thyrsus - A staff of nature. It was said that the circle of life revolved around it and its user could give and take life at will, making it one of the strongest weapons and by far the strongest staff to be created._

 _Brionac - A spear of unprecedented power. Wielded by an unstoppable warrior, it had earned its reputation as a spear which none could overcome, however true the legend is, it is indeed a dangerous weapon._

 _Parashu - A battleaxe of extreme size which can only be wielded by the owner of its counterpart. The weapon has four blades, two as a normal battleaxe would with two more at the top and bottom, it was phenomenal in wiping out legions of darkness during the war._

 _Mjolnir - The legendary hammer of the god of thunder in mythology. This sentient hammer can only be wielded by one it has chosen to be worthy of it. It had the power to amplify the abilities of whoever wields it tenfold. This weapon was in defeating the Titans in the war._

 _Tritonis - Little is known about this obscure weapon, said to be the trident the gods of water wield it is said it can manipulate and create water on an immense scale, even making it possible to change the sea and even remake the earth._

 _Artemis' Bow - Yet another weapon of a god. This was crafted by moonlight and from silverwood. It is the bane of the undead and will sear through any that it touches. It is at it's most potent when a full moon resides in the sky, it is the one weapon truly feared by the undead._

 _Excalibur - Also known as Calburn, the legendary sword of King Arthur existed long before that time, it was the smiter of demons and a holy sword created from a steel like no other, its effectiveness is based upon its user, the more strength they have, the more power they will wield in Excalibur. It is rumored that this sword was buried with another sword by the name of Arondight._

Below the text was a map, directing the viewer to the burial place of Brionac,the first of the weapons. Although the map was outdated, it wouldn't be too hard to update such a thing.

Morgana smirked. "Prince Abaddon will be pleased with these findings."

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 25. While I planned for this chapter to get into the story. It was more of a slice of life chapter when I began writing it, so I stuck with that to just start off simpler. There was bitter rivalry between Vala and Emlie, a bit of pain for Aaron and a lot of ruthless coaching for Ben.**

 **There were a lot of easter eggs to my future plans too, more on that in the future though.**

 **Next, there was the mention of the weapons. I have put some of the lore of those in whilst tailoring them to what I want them to be used for in the story. The only one made up is Tritonis as there aren't any actual mythical tridents to my knowledge, so I based it on Poseidon's trident. The second act will revolve heavily around these weapons as a big plot point for the act.**

 **Finally, the chapter mentioned last time will be the next chapter for certain and things will be returning to normal soon as the last few weeks of college begin to wind down, so I'll see you next time with the next chapter of Power Rangers: Mythos**


	27. Chapter 26: Rangers never say die!

Ch26: Rangers never say die!

The rangers had been called into the command center at the weekend after they had received a letter from one of their allies concerning a matter of urgency. Mack Hartford had recently discovered the prophecy of the legendary weapons and has finally deciphered the location of the first of these magnificent and ancient weapons.

Each of the rangers were sat down in their control room, listening to their mentor brief them on the situation and giving them a brief history lesson on the weapon they were after.

"The name of the staff in question is Thyrsus. It is connected to nature in an unfathomable way, it can give and take life, do all manner of things to anything created naturally. We need to get to it before the demons get it. Since Morgana also lost her staff in the blast, I'd suspect her to be there to try and take it as compensation for her loss of power. The location we got was quite a long way from here, so we need air transport to get there. Luckily, I know just the guy. Any questions?"

Ben rose his hand. "Do you think we're ready to use our amulets yet? Or are we too dangerous with them?"

"Good question. Jamie, if you will." Doctor Blake turned towards his young technician.

"Well, thanks to Tyson a few weeks back, I got enough data to design a system to suppress your power. You can't use its full potential, but it should be enough to give you some edge. Also I gave you all a bit of a redesign with the new specs in mind. I think you're gonna like what I did.

As someone else was about to ask a question. Aaron's phone went off. "I'll go sort this out and we can get off to that site." He told them, heading off to the side. He answered with "Ey up." Which was as the rangers had learned from him, slang for hello.

"So, this weapon then, I'm guessing it's not just in some place easy to reach. I'm also hoping it isn't in some deathtrap temple we have a hard time getting through." Lexa grimaced.

"As am I." Their mentor hoped.

 **[Stross Airlines]**

Soaring through the skies was the familiar sight of a biplane, but not any old biplane, for this was the very same piloted by Welkin Stross. Inside the rather cramped plane however, the rangers weren't having a very good time. The panels were shuddering as the plane soared through the sky and several of them felt as if the plane was just going to fall apart mid-air.

"Hey, Stross, you sure this thing's safe?" Tyson asked as the plane kept shuddering.

"Betsy doesn't seem safe does she? But she's a reliable old girl. I can guarantee that this thing won't fall apart while we fly." Welkin told the rangers in an attempt to reassure them. However a small piece of metal broke off from the roof of the plane and fell to the floor. "Ah, well… That wasn't important anyway… I think…" He stammered.

"Great, we're all gonna die." Percy sighed as he was reading a book.

"Okay, time for some in-flight radio to lighten the mood. What we got?" Emlie said as she headed up by the pilot.

"Well, to be honest, just this." Stross replied, flipping a switch.

"You're listening to The Amazing Adventures of Welkin Stross!" Came out of the device, each of the rangers gave a groan, while Stross himself smirked.

"You're such an egotist." Aaron remarked as he shook his head at the older ranger.

 **[Temple of Thyrsus]**

The exterior of the temple, which was buried deep within the forest was a ways off from the clearing they had landed in. The six rangers would have to go on foot from there while Welkin stayed behind with his plane, which the rangers greatly appreciated as they wouldn't have to stand his 'unique' personality for the entirety of the trip.

Percy and Aaron took point of the group as they traversed the terrain, keeping their eyes peeled for any demonic activity. Just as the group was about to reach the entrance to the temple, the blue ranger signalled them to duck down before they were spotted.

Right in front of them were a group of Thralls, guarding the entrance, it seemed as if a sub-group of them were about to enter the temple and it would be wiser to wait till they had before dealing with those that remained. The group seemed difficult to handle anyway.

"Looks like they're leaving." Emlie observed, Percy gave a nod in response.

"Good thinking. Now we better take these guys out, ready to ranger up?" Aaron asked to them all.

"After waiting for them to make another move for so long, I have a little steam that I need to blow off." Tyson enthused as they all stood up.

The Thralls instantly noticed this and one of them ran off into the temple, suspectedly to inform whoever was in charge about the rangers arrival. "So much for the element of surprise." Lexa commented as they each drew their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" They called, a flurry of colours blinding the Thralls as the rangers morphed.

Before the Thralls stood six morphed rangers, however, the appearance of their suits seemed to have vastly changed.

The five core rangers wore single coloured suits for their base outfit, over that was a silver gladiator themed shoulder and arm plate, that covered the outside of the arm and shoulder. This was attached to a light armour cuirass that diagonally covered the body from right to left, leaving one half exposed. Upon the exposed chest area was a symbol to coincide with the elements they control. Each suit had silver kneepads and white boots with silver plating on the toes. They also had white gloves with silver trimming. As for the helmets, they were largely the same, aside from the fact that the weapon themed visor each one had, now also had a trimming around it that represented each of their elements. The buckle of their silver belts were essentially patterns created based on their different elements and attached to their belts were their Mythic Blades.

As for the Templar ranger, his suit looked to have gone through a complete redesign. The heavy appearance of the suit had now been modified entirely. The base of the suit had a grey-silver tone to it and a light armoured chestplate, which protected only the front and chest of the wearer, was what protected the upper part of the torso, however, the stomach was exposed because of this. Etched into the centre of the chest piece was a red fireball. The shoulders were also protected by light pauldrons and the backs of his hands also had light plating for protection. The design of the suits legs were the same as his teammates as was his belt. His helmet remained in a similar state, yet the edges were jagged like fire, with a fiery outline of red. At his side was his standard sword which had been repaired from its fragments, however, cracks still ran through it and it was undoubtedly going to break again at some point.

Once the light had died down, the Thralls, drew their blades in a defensive formation as the rangers drew their blades and held them up high.

"It's been awhile since our last fight, better remind them who we are." Aaron commented.

"Element of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called.

"Element of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Tyson yelled, to the sky.

"Element of Babylon! Mythos Pink!" Lexa said, giving a pose.

"Element of Astral! Mythos Black!" Ben declared as he twirled his blade around in his hand.

"Element of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie exclaimed, tapping her shoulder with her blade.

"Element of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron finished, leveling his blade toward the Thralls.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" They all called out as they slashed the air with their blades.

 **[Temple of Thyrsus Interior]**

Within a stone antechamber that appeared to the entrance to a ritual chamber, Morgana stood before a stone door, covered in moss with ancient symbols etched into it. This door was the only way of getting into the next chamber and what lied beyond it.

"There has to be something here to open this damn thing." The mumbled to herself with her hand on her chin. She looked that the Thralls accompanying her. "Don't just stand there look for something to open this door, anything!" She screamed at them, getting frustrated ather inability to open it herself.

The demonic general Fleruty approached the sorceress from the shadows. "Having trouble? I heard these things don't like demons or your dark magic. Perhaps those powers you gained from the destruction of your first staff can help. You control nature, so this weapon that also controls nature might respond to it, as might the temple."

"For a general, you are surprisingly smart." Morgana commented as she drew out her morpher.

"I was the greatest tactician Abaddon had in the war, it was my role to see these things so we could destroy any magical influence in our conquests." He responded.

Morgana held up the morpher and closed her eyes as vines grew out and merged with the door, seeping into it. After a few more seconds, the door gave way and sank into the ground, allowing the villains to enter into the ritual chamber.

 **[Temple of Thyrsus Exterior]**

The rangers finished off the Thralls guarding the entrance as Tyson kicked the last of them backwards into the entrance of the tomb, sending it tumbling down into the dark.

"There could be more inside, we should keep our guard up." Percy said as the rangers proceeded into the dark temple corridors.

"It's pitch black in here, I can't see a thing. Anyone got light we can use?" Lexa asked as they walked aimlessly.

"Lets try my ability out. Hopefully Jamie's suppression tech works, otherwise we're all gonna be blinded. Here we go." Emlie said as she used her elemental power of light, which created a glowing orb of light that floated in her hand. While it wasn't that powerful, it gave the rangers room to see what was going on around them.

The rangers looked around to see they were in a moderately sized stone room with destroyed and damaged pillars supporting it, to make matters worse there was a large group of Thralls dotted around the chamber, looking as menacing as ever, who had just turned their attention towards the six rangers.

"Oh great. Emlie, I think I liked it better when we couldn't see a thing." Lexa remarked as they drew their blades once again.

Tyson ran in as his blade sparked with electricity, he struck a Thrall, sending a surge of lightning through it, causing it to dissipate in a cloud of flames.

Percy landed a roundhouse on a Thrall and then came back around with a water infused slash which spread out and knocked down two Thralls behind the first. With one final strike, the Thrall went ablaze and dissipated.

With a gust of wind, Thralls were knocked off of their feet as Lexa dashed forward and parried the minions till the small group was dispatched and combusted.

A layer of stone grew around Ben's blade as he smashed it into a Thrall, taking it to the ground before hammering it some more with the stony blade.

Emlie sent the sphere of light hurtling towards a Thrall, temporarily blinding the Thrall as the white ranger ran the minion through with her blade and caused it to combust.

Aaron raised his longsword as the blade ignited, a stream of flames flowing around it. He cut through a Thrall with ease, instantly causing it to combust and dissipate. Cutting through the remaining Thralls with ease, the rangers gave a tired sigh when they had defeated the minions.

"Even if our powers are stable now, it's taking a lot out of us." Ben commented as they continued down the halls.

"Well if you wanna complain to him later, go ahead." Aaron replied.

 **[Temple of Thyrsus Ritual Chamber]**

Morgana and Fleruty stood before a large stone plinth rising out of the ground. From the roof, skylight seeped into the room and the staff known as Thyrsus floated just above the plinth.

Morgana approached and turned to a Thrall. "You there, take this staff." She ordered. The demonic footsoldier marched forward and proceeded to grasp the staff before a bright wave of energy surged through it and sent searing pain through the demon till it was obliterated by the power.

"I see it's protected too. Anything you can do to disarm it?" Fleruty asked as he strolled around the room with his arms folded.

"I'll need time. But as long as that magical barrier is active, anything that touches it will be destroyed by its power. I require my complete attention on this to remove the barrier. So, keep our unwanted guests busy." She informed the general.

"Guests?" Fleruty asked as Morgana sat down before the plinth and closed her eyes.

"You'll understand." She told the demonic leader.

It was not long after this that the six rangers burst into the room, cutting down the Thrall guards as they did. Fleruty turned to face the rangers and gave a sinister smile.

"Again we meet rangers. I hope this time you'll be at least a bit stronger than you were last time." He greeted, drawing his greatsword.

"Out of our way. We need to get to that staff now. If you keep us away, both us and you are in danger. She'll have so much power she won't need the demons and destroy you all." Aaron bargained.

"Aaron, we'll fight him, you just get to her. Try get through to your sister." Percy told his friend.

"Good luck." Emlie added as the other five rangers stepped forward to fight Fleruty.

"Thanks, everyone." He said under his breath as they locked blades with the general.

Aaron ran around them to where Morgana sat meditating. However he was too late to stop the process as a mild force burst out from the staff and caused the weapon to fall down upon the plinth. Morgana stood up and opened her eyes to come face to face with the Templar Ranger once again.

"You." She sneered as she reached for the staff.

"Artemis. Listen to me. I know you're in there, you have to fight her." Aaron told the young woman Morgana was possessing.

"You fool. You think she can hear you? She's my puppet now, even a shred of hope can't reach her in the sea of darkness she's trapped in. Even a hero can't save everyone. Give up." She told the ranger as vines constricted his body and pulled him to his knees.

Meanwhile, the rangers were just barely holding up against Fleruty. The Demonic general swung his greatsword around and struck the rangers, knocking them to the ground.

As the rangers struggled to get to their knees, Ben dug his blade into the ground and the others watched as the roof collapsed over Fleruty and large stones fell on the general, burying him completely.

"How'd you do that?" Emlie asked as the rangers panted for breath.

"I don't know… I just had this feeling to-"

"Aaron!" Percy and Lexa called out as they saw their leader scream out in pain as he was constricted even tighter. The rangers ran towards him but were knocked back by a force sent from Morgana's hand.

"Artemis. I'm not giving up on you." He said in agony as he struggled against the vines. "I'm not giving up on my sister." Aaron called out.

Her eyes flickered from the vibrant and mystical green colour they usually were to a deep brown. When she spoke up, the tone was different, almost sleepy and fatigued, confused. "B-brother?…" She said in a daze before collapsing to the ground.

Aaron demorphed and knelt down beside her before the others demorphed and rushed over.

"Is she okay?" Percy asked as Aaron picked the petite young woman up from the ground with the aid of the blue ranger.

"I think so. I got through to her. I might not have freed her entirely, but she's in there somewhere, that's what's important." Aaron said, looking at his unconscious sister with a relieved expression.

"We'll free her from Morgana's control, together." Emlie told him as the others nodded in confirmation. The ranger returned a smile in thanks for their help.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 26. The rangers now have secured one of the seven weapons and now have Morgana/Artemis and are gonna get rid of the sorceress possessing her. Fleruty is still kicking and is only down for now, but he'll be back to leading the charge soon enough. And it turns out that Stross did get his radio show, although the rangers didn't like it one bit, including his personality, but that's understandable.**

 **I completed my exam, what I'd consider hell from what it was and I may have done really good, or killed my chances of not having to do another year of maths. Now I just have to get the other one out of the way in a few weeks and see how I've done. I do have a week off from college next week so I should be able to get a couple things out then. Things have been busy with coursework deadlines lately but I should be fine for at least a week.**

 **Next Chapter: Exorcism**

 **Synopsis: A man who was thought to exist only in literature journeys to Castelan at the request of a supposed ally of the rangers. From there they begin a ritual to remove the metaphysical entity Morgana from Artemis and bring her into the lives of her family. Can they take this on or does Abaddon and his demon minions have other plans? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	28. Chapter 27: Exorcism

Ch27: Exorcism

The lights of castelan glew in the distance as a shadowed figure stood in the dead of night, the only thing illuminating the area was a lit cigarette in the mouth of the figure. Although no one was around, the figure spoke with a coarse voice and a prominent british accent.

"You're gonna bloody owe me for this, you codger." The man spoke, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Heard a lot about this place anyway, was gonna pay a visit soon. Those Pillocks better not get in my way though." He finished as he began walking towards the town ahead.

 **[Command Center]**

It had been three days since the rangers claimed the staff and captured Morgana in the process. They had locked her inside the chamber Merlin had resided in before his disappearance. It had been repurposed into a makeshift containment room for her powers instead of amplifying them.

Most of the time, all that could be heard from the room was yelling and the sound of her power clashing with the ward at the door preventing her from leaving. No matter what any of the rangers tried, there was seemingly no help for the young girl possessed by the ancient entity.

Doctor Blake and Jamie were both inside the control room at the early hours of the morning, just before school started. The former was just preparing to leave as he was going over possible solutions with Jamie.

"We could try using the staff on her to draw her out." Jamie suggested.

The older man sighed. "I think she'd prefer to have a body with great magic potential than to have a staff to focus her abilities with, she's more than a match without it. I just don't know if there's any way we can do this."

Someone who was neither of the two present cleared their throat. "Come on doc, don't tell me you're another numpty. Science can't get you everywhere, it's naff when it comes to magic. But maybe I can lend a hand. You seem to be looking a bit gormless there, you and the lad okay?" The man with the course british accent told them as he stepped from the shadows.

He had short cut blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a rough beard. His clothes consisted of a white collared shirt with the top few buttons undone, dark grey suit pants, black shoes, a red tie that was really loose around the neck and a light tan unbuttoned trench coat.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The mentor asked cautiously, now aware of the man's presence.

The rough looking man pulled out a lighter and a cigarette, lighting it and taking a puff from it before proceeding to explain. "If you stop being a cautious plonker, I'll tell you. I'm here to help you out, kinda payment for one of your friends I uh… owe money to. As for my name, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. The name's John Constantine."

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

It was just an ordinary tuesday morning, or it would have been before the contest of affection began between Vala and Emlie. The two of them were waiting outside the school entrance for Aaron, however it appeared that he wasn't coming. As the two of them shared a disappointed look that he wouldn't be here for them to 'express their love for him' they saw Percy tapping away on his phone. As he walked towards, although the two were rivals, they made a temporary truce until they found the Templar ranger.

"Hey Percy!" The two called, catching the attention of the blue ranger.

He noticed them and looked up from his cell before stopping. "You two aren't at each other's throats today, something happen?"

"We we're just wondering if you've seen-" Vala started but was cut off by another familiar voice calling to the three of them.

Lexa headed toward the three of them from the inside of the building, with a rather happy expression on her face.

"Lexa, you're looking unusually happy today. What did you do this time?" Percy asked, knowing there was something behind it.

"Good morning to you too. And yeah I did do something for a change. I managed to get Todd and his gang of loons suspended for a few days. Come on you two, I'm gonna tell you all about it." Lexa smirked, linking her arms with one each of Vala and Emlie's and carting them off into the building, despite their protests.

Percy smirked and phoned someone up. "I think you'll be safe for now, or at least a few minutes. Downside is, you now owe Lexa, which is probably worse than giving Abaddon a bubble bath." Percy shivered at the thought as he ended the call just as the person on the other line came around.

"I don't want to even imagine what that's like." The young man said as he revealed himself to be Aaron.

"So, what are you gonna do, you can't keep avoiding them all together, especially now that you've realised what's going on, even if it did take a bit of hinting from some of us." Percy asked, silently laughing at the quote 'denseness' of his teammate.

"I don't know yet. I haven't thought about it, especially with recent events. Let's just get through one issue at a time, first we'll deal with my sister, then we'll deal with how to not get my arms ripped off by girls competing for my affections. Oh, plus I have the weekly beating I have to get to today." He explained, rather serious about the first and last comments.

"Actually, even better news, you're indebted to Lexa even more." Percy commented as he began to chuckle.

"I don't think I want to know." Aaron sighed as the two walked into the main building of the school.

 **[Blackspire]**

Abaddon sat upon his throne, in a sort of trance as Reaper stood mixing the medicine for his master.

"My lord. My lord, it's ready now, the potion is ready." Reaper said, tapping the demon prince on the shoulder, causing him to jolt awake.

He was rather aggressive and on the defence recently since the disappearance of both his sorceress, Morgana, and his general, Fleruty. Although this was a minor setback, both of the roles were vital. "Reaper, the next time you do such a thing, I shall rip you out of this existence and send you to the lowest depths of the cursed realm, where you shall know true pain. Now bring me one who resides in that realm. A creature of darkness and evil, I require his services."

 **[Command Center]**

Jamie and Constantine were stood looking at Morgana exhaust her magical ability against the warded barrier within the ranger base. Constantine was smoking yet another cigarette as he laughed at the all powerful sorceress who was reduced to this. In his left hand was the staff Thyrsus.

"How the mighty have fallen. After our last encounter and your host body being burned to ash, I didn't think you'd be the same. Looks like you bounced back luv." He remarked as he examined the staff.

"Shut up you insolent fiend. I'll get my revenge on you for then and I'll get out of here and get my revenge on these rangers. I will reclaim what is mine!" She declared, sending a burst of magic hurtling at the magical ward.

"You're really upset over a few runes and tomes I nicked back in the day. You immortal prats know how to hold a grudge, granted with others it is money. But I bet you're talking about the staff. Interesting little thing." Constantine replied as he studied the simple yet elegant staff.

As he did so, the base's sirens sounded and Jamie rushed to the control room as Constantine strolled along behind him.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

It was lunch hour and the group of friends were sitting together as usual while Aaron thought on about earlier on and the events that led up to that.

Unfortunately there wasn't time for thinking as every student's eyes were currently fixed on a sight that was familiar, but different somehow. From the sky descended something majestic, yet sinister at the same time. Lowering from the sky, eclipsing the sun was what appeared to be an angel.

When he landed his features were revealed. A face that only a divine and majestic being would have, however the wings that sprouted from his back were as black as coal. To complete the appearance, he wore a black long coat over dark clothes, two long blades attached to either side of his body.

"Greetings mortals. My name is Bernael. I'm sure you've heard of me." The one known as Berniel introduced, his smug look dropping with the blank faces around him. "No? That makes my job far more fun. I am what you would call a Fallen Angel. In particular, I am the one of darkness and evil. It feels great to be back on the surface again after all that time imprisoned. But now it's time to get back to work, and that means the end of humanity. So surrender now and I offer a painless death, however, if you don't, things will be a lot more enjoyable. For me anyway, you humans will be gone." He demanded as he unsheathed his swords. Teens all around the area, including Vala, ran off screaming in terror, yet the rangers stood up and walked toward him in the midst of the chaos. "Brave of you six to die first."

"Not a chance we're gonna let that happen." Tyson declared, cracking his knuckles.

"We've dealt with far worse than you before." Ben also added as the rangers pulled out their morphers.

"Mythos ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" The teens called, morphing and drawing their blades before pointing them at the Fallen Angel.

"Now you're in for a fight." Aaron declared as they prepared to attack.

However Bernael raised his right hand, telling them to wait as his eyes focused on a figure behind the rangers. "You children aren't worth my time. How about you deal with my pet instead." He told them as he walked past the six rangers as if they weren't there.

"Bernael you swine. Didn't think you'd get out so soon." The voice of Constantine said as the rangers turned to see the man that the voice belonged to.

"Wait is that?" Percy asked as he recognised who it was.

"John Constantine. I've been looking forward to this since you locked me away all those years ago. Let's say I have friends in high places. But after so long, I'm going to savour every moment I get killing you." Bernael laughed maniacally.

"You're a complete nutter now aren't you? Well I think I've got a prison just suited for you this time round." Constantine provoked as the Fallen Angel ran at Constantine with his blades in hand.

At first the rangers were worried as Bernael lunged at Constantine. But their fears were soon relieved as the man in the trench coat dodged the attack and kept dodging as the enraged angel kept attacking as best he could. Then the battle just seemingly stopped mid-attack. Constantine had a smug look on his face as Berneal looked to the ground to see himself inside of an archaic symbol that seemingly appeared from nowhere. The rangers were equally as surprised as the Fallen Angel at its seemingly sudden appearance.

"Always one for misdirection. Avenge me my pet." He said as a red aura rose up from the symbol, and with a flash of light, Bernael was gone.

In his place was a small stone with the same symbol that had been on the ground engraved upon it. Constantine walked over and picked it up, tossing it into the air and catching it again.

"That's what you get for being a cocky blighter." Yet victory was short-lived as the ground began to shake and a giant monstrous creature made of what appeared to be rock emerged from the ground.

The five core rangers stood in line and held their amulets to the sky as the Templar ranger approached Constantine. "Mythic Guardians, Awaken!" The five of them called, summoning their zords and combining it into the Mythic Guardian Megazord.

On the ground, Aaron was asking about the situation that happened as the battle went on. He didn't get much of an answer but from what he gathered the Angel was a sworn enemy of Constantine's.

The Megazord struck the stone beast with the swordfish blade which sliced across the surface of the gigantic being yet did no damage whatsoever. Then the creature grabbed the megazord and picked it up, then proceeding to slam it down into the ground.

The megazord was badly damaged and struggled to get up.

"We could use your help right about now." Percy called as the megazord sparked as it was punched to the floor once more by the beast that let out a bellowing and triumphant roar.

"Here, take this. I doubt a numpty like you'd understand why straight away, but you'll see why soon enough." Constantine said, handing the ranger Thyrsus.

"I'm not a complete idiot you know." 'But why give Thyrsus to me?' He asked in his head, calling upon the Lionheart Megazord and heading into battle.

He drew his longsword inside of the cockpit while he was holding the staff. The megazord did so too before the staff and the cockpit began to glow green, even causing part of the torso to do so.

Unfortunately the beast caught onto this and began to advance on the Megazord.

"Aaron, whatever you did, that things coming for you, be careful." Emlie warned as the sparking Guardian regained its footing.

"I don't think I did anything!" He exclaimed as he was blinded by a flash of light, which in turn hit and blinded anything within the surrounding area.

When it subsided, the beast was screeching in pain and a new contender had entered the scene. It was primarily green with a black undercoat and trimming, it appeared to be a mechanical fairy which hovered in the air for a few seconds before green wings of energy materialised and the fairy themed zord flew around, spreading green particles over the area, which revitalised the Mythic Guardian as well as repairing the destroyed terrain.

Then the Sylph zord landed upon the shoulder of the Lionheart Megazord. Inside the cockpit, gears turned as the Megazord began transforming along with the Sylph zord. The latter separating into separate parts that combined with the megazord.

Now fully combined the new megazord stood tall. It was primarily as it was, however there were a few distinct changes. The Megazord held two sword hilts in each hand. The shoulders were thin and green, but seemed to offer more maneuverability now. The head of the Megazord now appeared to be more like a metallic cowl that shadowed the eyes.

Within the cockpit, the room was slightly expanded and now accommodated a second weapon pedestal meant for Thyrsus. One side of the room had a red banner with a silver sword on it as usual while the other side had a green banner with a tree upon it.

"This is strange. But if this is some kind of new powerful form. I'll take it." Aaron said as he grasped hold of his sword and pointed it towards the monster.

On the outside, the new Megazord pointed a sword hilt at the monster and a fiery blade of red energy ignited from it. "Nature's Warden Megazord! Ready!" Aaron called as the beast regained its sight and turned to face the Warden.

The beast charged on all fours, but the Megazord stood its ground, bringing the blade of energy forward as it took what seemed to be a defensive stance.

"Let's see what you can do now!" Aaron called as the Megazord sped forward to make contact with the beast and kicking it back. As the stone beast rose again, the Megazord raised its blade up high. "Flaming Justice!" Aaron called as the blade began to glow brighter extended. Bringing it down on the beast, it split the titanic monster in two down the middle and caused it to explode as the Megazord turned around.

"Myth Busted!" Aaron confirmed, triumphant. Now the rangers had a new and powerful zord in their arsenal.

 **[Command Center]**

Constantine and the rangers had returned to the command center after the fight and were going over the next steps to break Artemis free of Morgana's control. But something was bothering Percy.

The blue ranger pulled Constantine to the side as the other rangers set up the ritual. "Constantine. I know you from somewhere. You're an anti-hero in a comic book. That said. Why are you real? I thought you only existed in fiction."

"I might be a fictional, though those plonkers are usually uptight and sometimes insane so who knows. Or maybe those stories are based off of my life. Who knows." He told Percy, keeping it cryptic.

"One more question. What's a fictional?" Percy asked with a blank face.

"I swear the bloody education system here suck, like trying to watch a crap footie team." Constantine groaned as he went to finish setting up the ritual area.

"Seconded." Aaron joined in, knowing he was the only one around here who understood half of the words Constantine was using when speaking.

It had been some time now and the unconscious Artemis lay within a pentagram surrounded by five white candles at each point. Constantine stood at the top point with an ancient tome in one hand, a glass jar in another. The others present were stood at the edges of the room and were told not to interfere, no matter what may happen.

"Isn't the pentagram a sign of evil?" Ben asked, thinking back to something he was told one.

"I thought you weren't a bashful one. That's just what the prissy church wants you to think. It's purpose is to guard, protect, ward against and cast out evil spirits and entities. It is a vital part of the process. Now lets begin." Constantine opened the book and began reciting a page.

"Regna terrae, cantata Deo, psallite Cernunnos, Regna terrae, cantata Dea psallite Aradia. caeli Deus, Deus terrae, Humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus Ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate, Laqueo, and deceptione nequitia, Omnis fallaciae, libera nos, dominates. Exorcizamus you omnis immundus spiritus Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio, Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, Omnis and congregatio secta diabolica. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, dominates, Ut coven tuam secura tibi libertate servire facias, Te rogamus, audi nos! Ut inimicos sanctae circulae humiliare digneris,Te rogamus, audi nos! Terribilis Deus Sanctuario suo, Cernunnos ipse truderit virtutem plebi Suae, Aradia ipse fortitudinem plebi Suae. Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri, Benedictus Dea, Matri gloria!" Constantine called, completing the spell as Morgana awoke and began laughing.

"No, no. You can't get rid of me I-" She cut off as green smoke began to emerge from her body which was drawn into the glass jar. As soon as the jar was full, Constantine closed the Jar and sealed it tight.

"Witch in a jar. That'll fetch a bit of coin. Better than those 'rare artefacts' I bought for ten bob and sold them for ten times that." He mumbled to himself.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Aaron asked, concerned for the passed out Artemis.

"Sure lad. Just give her a couple days. Now I gotta get out of here and flog this- I mean put it in a safe place. Good luck to you all." Constantine told them before disappearing in a whirlwind of fire.

"So she's finally free then." Aaron said as he looked at the sleeping figure on the ground.

"See, hope really is on our side." Emlie commented as Aaron put on a relieved smile. Artemis was finally free and they wouldn't be dealing with Morgana any more. In addition to a new zord and Megazord combination, this day had been a great achievement for the rangers.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 27 over. I enjoyed bringing Constantine alive, while he is from DC comics originally, there have been suspected real world occurrences of him existing so why not exploit that? So whether he's been brought to life from the pages of a book by a powerful magic user as a fictional or he's the real deal, we'll never really know. Plus all those english slang insults were fun to do being only people who look them up or know the words can get it. There are most certainly reasons for the bad guy being a fallen angel this time but the reasons are a secret. Plus the ritual words are actually part of an ancient pagan exorcism ritual, that's what I call immersive. Okay I'll stop praising how much I like how this chapter turned out now.**

 **I have a final exam tomorrow and then I'm done with that, hopefully I pass or it's another year of that subject for me, hopefully not, I just wanted to get this chapter out while there was still time today. That's all from me, so here's the synopsis of the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Brionac**

 **Synopsis: A new story arc begins. The location of the ultimate spear is revealed, and five of the rangers race off to reach it in time before the Demons retrieve it from the crypt it is buried in. Meanwhile Artemis adjusts to her new family and life in Castelan with her brother helping her every step of the way while they both learn to become siblings. Can the rangers retrieve Brionac in time? How will Artemis' new life go? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos**


	29. Chapter 28: Brionac

Ch28: Brionac

June the first. It was quite a pleasant day this day, and since Morgana's removal, there has been a power vacuum along with the disappearance of Fleruty. Abaddon's attempts have been useless without the wisdom of his sorceress or the tactical mind of Fleruty. With just one of them back he could restart his campaign.

Reaper rushed into the demon prince's throne room and knelt hastily. "My lord, the thralls have found him. Fleruty is returning as we speak. There is also another matter which he needs to discuss with you, concerning one of the legendary weapons."

The demon gave a chuckle. "Fleruty is indeed powerful. Not even a collapse can scathe such a warrior. I look forward as to what news he brings. Any word on my armies still trapped?"

"One of your commanders has come through to this realm, I was rather impressed of the power he commands. The shining warrior, Horus."

A smirk came across Abaddon's face as he knew exactly where this was leading.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

It was minutes before the bell rang for homeroom. Aaron Du Lac was walking in beside another, Artemis Domino. They hadn't known each other for long or been siblings to each other for long. Yet they were beginning to form a bond like any other pair of would have. Artemis was only fifteen, meaning that she wasn't in the classes any of the rangers were in, them for the most part being seventeen or almost that age.

As they walked through the building, a few eyes fixed on Artemis. It didn't bother her that much but this is was the first time she'd been to school in almost a year. She finished middle school before she was carted of to an orphanage. It was mostly kids there so it was kinda lonely. It was kind of scary for her, coming in as a freshman when the year had ended. But she was keeping a positive attitude and was gonna do her best to catch up on the year she missed and make some friends while doing it.

"You nervous then?" Aaron asked as they approached the entrance Principal's office.

"Kinda. But I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides,if anything goes wrong, I have a big brother to protect me now." She smiled.

"I think I've done enough saving you for one lifetime." Aaron joked, before getting a thump in the arm from his sister. "You can pack a punch for a shortie you know." He joked again, expecting to get another thump.

Instead she laughed it off. "I'll get you later for that one. Anyway, I gotta go see where I end up now, so I'll see you later."

"Bye Missy." He told her heading off as the door closed after she went through it. Only hearing it at the last minute. He smirked as he knew she didn't like that nickname and it would annoy her till she got him back for it.

Around the corner Lexa and Percy were waiting, having heard the conversation between the siblings. "They're really hitting it off aren't they?" Percy asked, to which Lexa nodded.

"The way they're going, it's like they've known each other forever. Honestly, I don't get the bonds of siblings. I think I'll go early and take a nap. I was up all night looking as cute clothes." Lexa sighed as she slumbered along.

"Another one of your schemes?" Percy asked as he followed her along.

"Don't tell me you've forgot again. You've known me and Emlie since childhood and you do this EVERY single year. Next week's her birthday." Lexa reminded Percy, slightly infuriated with him.

"Well at least this time there's some time to get something, thanks to you for reminding me. We should let Aaron know, right?" He suggested.

Lexa gave a nod. "Yeah, but leave that to me."

"Whenever you say that I get a bad feeling." The blue ranger replied, getting a chuckle out of his friend as they entered the classroom.

"Don't worry, I've got this." She said in an attempt to reassure him.

"Again, not helping." He grimaced as the two took their seats.

 **[Blackspire]**

Fleruty had returned to his master's side and was currently in conversation with Abaddon about what the General had found. "In the ruins of the temple, after freeing myself from the stone tomb, I found an ancient scroll. Written in the language of our old enemies. It details the spear of the white guardian of Elysium. Brionac. A spear that makes the wielder virtually unstoppable in the face of overwhelming odds. With this weapon we could utterly destroy the Mythos rangers."

"I see. Then it is good another commander has come. They have the staff Thyrsus, they are not to be underestimated. Horus!" Abaddon called as another demon entered the room, as this one did so, light burst through the dark room illuminating everything and blinding Fleruty for a few seconds.

This demon was different in so many ways. His appearance was that of a fifteen year old boy. His skin was extremely fair and contained no mark or blemish and had soft features. You would mistake him for an angel if it wasn't for the evil spark in his eyes. He had midlength blonde hair and wore light silk trousers with an open vest over his torso. Upon the front of the vest was Abaddon's insignia.

Horus had four other demons around him, known as his attendants. They we're all red demons, their horns at different positions depending on their rank. Two were male and two were female.

Horus, followed by the four attendants knelt at the foot of Abaddon's throne. "My lord, it's a pleasure to see you again. I believe you have a task for me and my companions." He spoke with a soft tone, one might think he was nobility.

"Indeed. Your arrival is timely, Horus. Take this, it is a map to the crypt where a special weapon lies in wait. Go to the town nearby and find this place, and crush any resistance." Abaddon ordered. Horus bowed his head before rising with his minions and leaving on the search for the weapon.

"Master. What were you thinking? Sending that insufferable idiot after the weapon. He's bound to fail!" Fleruty roared in outrage.

"You may think so, and however insufferable he is, he is a commander of deception. His minions will keep the rangers busy while he retrieves the spear, unbeknownst to them." Abaddon informed his officer.

"I still disagree, my lord. However if you choose this over my council, I cannot intervene." Fleruty finished, still grimacing at the fact he had to sit on the sidelines while cunning and deception came into play.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

The rangers had gotten through the day without incident for the time being and were in their group as usual, hanging out and talking as the rest of the school was heading home for the day.

Artemis was walking along with a small group of girls who were chatting casually to each other about various things. Aaron noticed her coming out and waved calling her name.

"Who's that, the guy calling to you?" one of the girls asked, Artemis.

"He's my brother. I gotta go now. I'll see you all some other time?" She responded.

The girl who seemed to the head of the group nodded. "And we're still on for that shopping trip right? You're new in town so it's best you know where everything is soon."

"Sure. Bye everyone!" Artemis waved as she jogged up to where Aaron and the others were.

The head girl smirked. 'I never knew that Aaron had a sister. He's pretty close to Percy. Maybe she'll be useful for something.' She thought as the group headed off.

The rangers all heard their morphers go off, indicating that the demons were back in business. Yet another problem had arisen. Despite being a key part of the enemy's plan until a few weeks ago, Aaron had kept his and the others secret identities from her and she has no idea. He wants to keep that hidden from her as long as possible.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow everyone. Missy and I have gotta go home now. We'll see you all tomorrow." Aaron told them, giving them the go ahead with a nod.

"Hey, I wanted to get to know them some more. Can't we?" She asked, slightly grumpy.

"Sorry, we've got-uh stuff to do. Later." Tyson replied as the five of them rushed off to deal with the demons.

 **[Castelan Cemetery]**

The rangers arrived at the cemetery fully morphed with their mythic blades in hand. Looking around, they spotted Horus with his four red demon attendants at the entrance to a crypt. The boyish demon spoke to the lowest of them that had the horns of a goat, presumably to tell him to stand guard as that is what he did while the others entered.

"Ben, Lexa, you two take care of that demon out here. The rest of us will go in after the others." Emlie ordered, taking command.

The two nodded. And headed off, their blades clashing against two knives the attendant carried.

The other three snuck into the crypt amongst the fighting. Lexa was pushed back by the force of the attendant while it used its free knife to slash Ben along the chest and send him tumbling to the ground.

Lexa growled. "This things tough. Think it's time for some element power?" She asked, Ben shook his head.

"Lets try without it first, you never know when we might lose it." Ben told her as they both got their bearings.

"You're both pitiful you know. Not even a match for Attendant One. You may call me One, for it shall be the one thing you'll remember in your demise." The demon known as One told them as he rushed them with his twin knives.

"I hope the others are having a better time than we are right now." Ben grimaced as he blocked One's attack.

 **[Crypt]**

The three rangers ran through the coffin filled hallways until they found a hole in the wall that led down a passageway that looked even older than the crypt they were in.

"I'm guessing they're through here, the rubble over there looks to have come from here." Tyson observed as they stepped through the hole and headed down the passageway.

"If there's any spiders here, I'm out." Percy complained as the route got darker and darker.

"Quit being a baby." Emlie remarked as the darkness got suddenly brighter as they entered a large chamber.

The rangers shielded their eyes as a bright light illuminated the room and momentarily blinded them. When their eyes adjusted, they saw the spear floating on a plinth, radiating light.

"Just like last time." Percy commented on the chamber, it was rather similar to the one Thyrsus was in, aside from the added plinth with a scroll upon it in front of the one holding the spear.

Emlie walks up and holds her hand out to Brionac, being drawn to it, almost like it was calling out. With one hesitant moment, she grasped ahold of the spear and its light began to fade as she took it to her side.

Then Horus and his three attendants emerged from the darkness, once again illuminating the area. The demon gave a slow mocking clap. "Well done. You have the staff now, feel special yet? Of course the legendary properties are total garbage. Two, take these insolent fools down. I believe that for now they have won. However if you manage to take them down, you will be rewarded." Horus told Attendant Two before he and the other two demon attendants vanished in a vortex of fire.

Two was a small female demon, her horns pointed backwards and she seemed to carry a single fast attack sword and wore a lighter version of the demonic armour. "It will be my pleasure, master." She said as she darted at Percy and Tyson, knocking them both clean off of their feet.

"Damn she's fast." Tyson grunted as they hit the ground hard.

"Hey you, how about we take this outside?" Emlie challenged, the she demon smirked.

"So be it. I'm sure by now One has taken care of your friends." Two told her. "Next you're gonna say 'How did you know that?' Well I'll spare you the trouble. We Attendants see what each other see." She finished as she zoomed out to face the white ranger.

"You guys get that scroll and help Ben and Lexa." Emlie ordered before heading after the demon.

 **[Castelan Cemetery]**

Out of the Cryp came Two, shortly followed by Emlie who was using Brionac against her.

Meanwhile Lexa and Ben were pushing their blades against One's knives. "Looks like she got the staff in time." Ben said as the two rangers knocked One back.

"Then let's wrap this little fight up shall we?" Lexa suggested.

Ben gave a nod and punched down into the ground, calling up a large amount of rocks from the earth. Breathing in, Lexa let out a gust of wind that propelled the mound at One, ploughing straight into him.

"Let's end him!" Lexa enthused as stone grew around Ben's blade while a small twister grew around Lexa's

"Dual strike!" The two called as they slashed simultaneously, causing One to surge with energy.

"I return to the master." He whispered as he collapsed to his knees and exploded.

The blue and yellow rangers emerged with the scroll just in time to witness it. They gave a thumbs up to their teammates to let them know everything was alright.

Meanwhile, Emlie thrusted the spear at Two, only for the Demon to effortlessly dodge the Brionac. Two laughed at the white ranger's fruitless effort.

"I'm not gonna give up. I'm not gonna let another one of you demons win!" Emlie called out as the spear began to radiate with light once again. Jumping into the air, the sky seemed to light up with radiant light, blinging the foe before her.

"Luminous Pierce!" The white ranger called, aiming the spear at Two before driving it through the demon as light radiated from it, causing the demon to burn up.

"I might be defeated, but my strength returns to the master." She said in defeat as she exploded on removal of Brionac.

"Myth Busted." Emlie confirmed, triumphant with her new weapon.

 **[Command Center]**

A day after the incursion, all of the rangers had gathered around a table within the control room where Jamie was explaining what they had stumbled upon inside that crypt.

"So this is a map that shows the location to the other weapons. It'll take time to translate where they are but when we have them, we can get them out of the hands of the demons." He explained, rolling it back up. "In the meantime, I guess you should look out for those other demons and that one called Horus."

As the rangers prepared to leave, Lexa pulled Aaron to the side. "Hey, got a minute?" She asked as they went into an empty corridor.

"Something up?" Aaron asked in response.

"Well next week's Emlie's birthday. So it's sort of a heads up. Her parents are planning a surprise party so you better come, and be sure to bring presents." She told him before walking off.

'Looks like I've got some work to do, wonder if Artemis and her new friends would let me tag along and help me out. I've got no clue when it comes to shopping for women.'

 **[Blackspire]**

Horus sat in a luxurious lounge area, being fanned by his two attendants. "My lord." The last male demon said, getting the attention of Horus.

"Yes, Four?" He asked, allowing Attendant Four to proceed.

"One and Two are gone. To the rangers and to Brionac. What do we do?" Four asked as Hours sat up properly.

"It's quite simple. You and Three are to destroy them. When that is done, we take the Spear. If you fail, then I shall be stronger, then and only then will I take to the fight." He explained, giving a such malicious chuckle for such a youthful appearance.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 28 finished. Artemis seems to be adjusting well, although she is an obstacle for ranger life for now. She has made some friends, but one in particular has other motives. As for Horus, he is really cunning and deceitful, such would be for a story arc themed on light.**

 **This is the first chapter of a three part arc that is gonna revolve around the white ranger, and this'll be the same with the other rangers too. As for what's gonna happen. I think you're gonna enjoy it.**

 **I'll be done with college by the end of this week for definite. Which means I'm finally free! All jokes aside though, it means I can get things back to how they were and now I'm done catching up with Zyuohger, which I'm really enjoying with the intro of "The World" I'm beginning the next chapter of that now, plus planning ahead with a few good friends which is gonna be interesting with the different people working on it with me. I'll talk to you all later and here's the next preview.**

 **Next Chapter: Sort of Happy Birthday**

 **Synopsis: It's Emlie's birthday and the demons don't seem to care. The other rangers prepare her party and to keep her occupied, Aaron is sent along with her, however Three and Four attack the town and the two rangers, keeping them fighting all day. Can they make it to the celebration in time? Will they even manage to defeat Three and Four without the others? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	30. Chapter 29: Sort of Happy Birthday

Ch29: Sort of Happy Birthday

Today was a special day for one of the rangers. Today was Emlie Lane's seventeenth birthday, She was expecting a small social gathering of her close friends like usual, however nothing too big. However that wasn't the case this time around, her parents had other plans, unbeknownst to her.

Today she had a crisp white ribbon in her hair as she always did on her birthday. She was rather happy about today, especially since it was the first birthday with a particular someone around. It was the weekend and Aaron had offered to take her around the town, to her it was an unofficial date.

A knock was heard at the door, followed by her mother's voice. "Your friend's here to pick you up now Emlie." She said from the other side of the door.

"Okay just a second!" She called back, checking that her hair was neat and she'd done her makeup correctly. After her quick check she went out the door and down the stairs with a quick jog and a smile on her face.

'Maybe I can finally let him know how I feel today.' She thought to herself as she walked out of the door. While she definitely did have a plan to profess her love, she wasn't entirely sure she had the courage to do so. Yet even on what might be a good day, evil always has other plans.

 **[The Dragon]**

The favourite social place for the youths of Castelan and something that certainly true when it comes to the rangers. This was the designated venue for the white rangers birthday party and all of her friends were helping out in the business that had been closed for the event.

As Tyson and Lexa hung decorations from the ceiling, Percy was filling up balloons with helium with Artemis, however the two had ceased work after Percy insisted they mess around with the helium.

"I told you this was a good idea." Percy said in a high pitched voice caused by the helium.

Artemis gave a high pitched laugh "This is great!" She enthused, still in the ridiculous high pitched, helium influenced, voice. The two of them were laughing amongst themselves as the others worked.

Ben was busy wrapping up any last minute presents that were brought in, with Vala helping him out with any tricky things he'd need more than two hands for.

Tyson nudged Lexa. "So what did you get her?" He asked as he strung up another decoration.

"Well I can't really say, but it's bound to be way better than whatever you got her." She smirked confidently.

"Oh really now?" Tyson asked, intrigued by that.

"Sure is. If you're confident that you've got something good, we could make a bet." She said, in an almost sinister tone, keeping her smile, yet it seemed to turn slightly devious in the process.

As much as Tyson knew how bad of an idea it was to make a bet with Lexa, he knew that he couldn't chicken out, otherwise he'd think himself a coward. One thing that he knows he isn't. Gulping first, he gave a nod. "Sure, whoever has the best present, gets twenty bucks off of the loser."

"Deal." She said, holding out her hand for Tyson, who took it and gave it a shake.

'I'm gonna regret this.' He thought as he got back to work on the decorations.

 **[Castelan Mall]**

It was the lunch hour and the mall was rather busy as usual when it came to this time of day. Emlie was walking with Aaron, having a casual conversation with her friend. Then they stopped by a water fountain, where the white ranger directed them to sit down.

"Hey, there's something I want to talk about with you." She said as she turned to face him.

"Go ahead." Aaron replied casually. Emlie hesitated a moment, choking on words as she tried to say them.

"I-I… Uh…" She paused for a second, trying to muster up the courage to say it, however her change was blown as the partons of the mall fled screaming in terror.

Looking ahead, the two rangers saw one of Horus' attendants. Another red demon, this one was a female, just like Two, however this demon's horns were pointing up at a forty five degree angle, looking slightly sharper too, she wore a black robe, a crude mockery of one such as a mage.

"I am the demon Three, and I'm looking for the power rangers!" She announced as anyone remaining cleared out of the building, save for the two rangers.

Aaron stood up and marched toward the demon, followed closely by the white ranger. Three smirked with sadistic delight as they approached.

"We're here, now what do you want demon?" Aaron asked, cautious not to get too close.

"I've been tasked to take that spear from you and give it to my master. Now hand it over." She told the Templar ranger who pulled out his morpher.

"You're gonna have to get through me first." He informed her, gritting his teeth as he did. "Templar Power, Activate!" He called, morphing in a flash and levelling his blade at the demoness.

"A sword versus dark magic. Unwise, knight." Three laughed as she created a ball of dark magic from her hand and shot it at the ranger.

Aaron managed to roll out of the way and charge forward at the mage demon in quick succession and stun the demon for a few seconds with a hit to the face with the hilt of the templar blade.

"You're not the only one with tricks." Aaron told Three as, with his free hand, he created a ball of fire and shot it forward, blasting her to the floor.

Three groaned as she got up, holding her side, her robes tattered from the blast of elemental magic. "Your firebolt is strong, but don't think I'm defeated yet." She told the ranger, proceeding to give a wounded cough.

"It's already over." Aaron said in an impassive tone. Then he grasped the hilt of his blade tightly and charged forward, lunging and running the demoness through. Removing the blade and turning around, demorphing as he walked he muttered. "Myth Busted." As Three combusted before exploding.

Emlie stood there in complete silence thinking over what she just saw. Aaron flawlessly defeated a higher up demon in a mere couple of hits, he seemed to look slightly angry too after demorphing, either something had happened to put him this way, or maybe it was something else. 'Could he like me too?' She thought as the ranger came up to her, she was blushing a little at this thought too.

"Is something up?" Aaron asked, to which she simply shook her head. "Then about what you were gonna say before this whole ordeal." He added.

Emlie shook her head again and gave a sigh. "It honestly doesn't matter. Now let's just get out of here." She said, sounding slightly sad.

'She looks really sad. Well hopefully by the end of the day everything won't matter.' Aaron thought to himself as he walked with his friend out of the shopping center.

 **[Blackspire]**

Hours was lounging about as per usual in his chambers when the last of his demon attendants entered the room. He had his head low as he addressed his master.

"My lord Horus, Three has been defeated." He informed the demon leader with a grim expression.

"I felt her power course through my veins. I know all too well when one of you dies. Now go and take the spear away from that white ranger. Just beware of the one in silver, you don't want to end like three did." Horus responded.

"Yes my lord, my strength will not let me down. Legendary weapon or not, I will pry the spear from that child's hands." Four affirmed before leaving.

Meanwhile, inside the throne room of the spire, Fleruty knelt at his master's foot, informing him of the information he had gathered.

"From what I have been told, a scroll was also within the chamber that gave the location of each location of a weapon. The rangers apparently have this now. Your orders my lord?" The general asked as he arose and stood at attention as Abaddon tapped his throne with his fingers.

"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I the meantime gather champions to send after the rangers. I will handle this matter, discreetly." The Demon prince informed his second.

"I understand my lord. I shall begin immediately." Fleruty finished, nodding in acceptance of the task given.

'Though I am trapped upon this infernal throne for now, an aspect of my will will prove the best choice for spying on the rangers, however the application of such a thing is a trivial matter. Especially with my sorceress gone. Perhaps it is time to call upon yet another for such a thing.

 **[Castelan Park]**

The sun was shining in the afternoon and it was a nice temperature to be outside in, so after leaving the mall after the incident there, they came to the park, where children were playing in the playground, an old man threw bread into the small lake to feed a flock of ducks that were swimming around and fighting over the chunks of bread thrown in.

Aaron and Emlie were walking down a path, laughing at the different random occurrences in the park, such as a man in fisherman overalls being pulled into the water by a fish that seemed to be too strong for him and a group of twenty year old men pulling pranks on each other, one of the highlights was one of them pulling out a trumpet and blowing it into the ear of another, surprising and temporarily deafening the latter.

Despite all this, when reaching an empty bench, Emlie sat down and a sulking expression came across her face. 'Stupid demons ruined everything.' The thought to herself as she grumbled.

"You alright?" He asked, sitting next to her. She gave a sigh and nodded, knowing that this was her chance to try and fix what went wrong last time.

"It's just what I wanted to say last time was important and that stupid demon ruined it. I was thinking of just letting it go, but I have to say this, so I'm just gonna come out and say this. I like-" Yet again, through an unfortunate turn of events, she was cut off.

However this time it was by the ringing of a phone. Looking at the caller ID, Aaron gave an apologetic look. "Sorry, this is important. I'll be right back, than we can carry on."

"That better not be Vala." Emlie grumbled to herself, before listening in on what was so important.

"Everything's ready then? Good, yeah. I'll talk with you later then, just make sure everything's ready. No she doesn't suspect a thing. Right, now can you please hang up, I gotta get back to something. You know, I'm starting to regret this little arrangement, why'd I even have to call you? God you're so obnoxious. Right hanging up." Aaron conversed with the person on the other line. Before cutting off the call and heading back to the bench. "Sorry, sisters can be a real pain." He apologised. "So what were you gonna say?"

'So it was just his sister then, good' Emlie thought as she gave a sigh of relief. "Okay. here I go. I like y-" An explosion occurred nearby and the parkgoers ran screaming as a group of Thralls swarmed the area along with Attendant Four. 'Oh come on!' She screamed in her head, angry with all the things preventing her from saying what she needed to.

"I'll take the big meanie, you focus on the Thralls." Aaron ordered. Emlie shook her head, disobeying his orders.

"These guys don't know the meaning of poor timing. EVERY single time I've tried to say anything I need to, something's got in the way. And its usually these guys. Well that's it. You're going down, you aren't taking this from me again!" She yelled, pulling out her morpher and calling out. "Mythos Ignite!" Calling as Aaron morphed too.

"Well you seem pretty angry so if you're insistent, I'll hang back and take care of the Thralls." Aaron commented, drawing his longsword.

Four was a large and well built Demon. He wore jagged metal plate legs and boots, however wore no shirt which exposed his scarred crimson body, with a symbol of Abaddon branded into his chest. The horns of this warrior pointed straight up, this was indeed the strongest of the attendants, one strong enough to wield such a menacing looking battle axe too.

Calling forth Brionac from her amulet after it imbued with it the first time she used it. The light around it intensified as the white ranger span the spear around before pointing it at Four.

"You seem pretty angry white ranger." Four laughed as he swung the axe at Emlie, for her to knock it away with ease. "Impressive." The demon commented again as Emlie grew more infuriated by the second.

"If you're gonna ruin things for me, I'm gonna destroy your chances of ever getting this weapon!" She exclaimed as the brightness of the weapon intensified, blinding everyone for a moment.

When it died down, the shape of the spear had changed from what it once was. Now it consisted of a long silvery pole handle, a circular attachment between the hole and the blade which was hollow in the middle and had carvings around the sides and a long straight edged spear blade with carvings along the outside edges.

Four had his eyes wide in disbelief. "Brionac… It's been unlocked. The legend is real…" The demonic Attendant gasped in disbelief.

Emlie now had the full power of Brionac in her hands, the power that the spear had when its full potential was unlocked. Now there was no stopping the white ranger from destroying the demon before her with one deadly blow.

She began to radiate light, as did the weapon she wielded as the unified power of the spear and the amulet were channeled through the young ranger. She took a deep breath before targeting Four for a piercing attack.

"Divine Luminous Pierce!" Emlie called as she and the weapon set ablaze with light, blinding everything in the surrounding area as she tore through the demon with immense power.

As the light returned to normal and emlie span her spear around before tucking it up straight behind her shoulder, Four gave a cough. "We servants fall so the master may rise. Let the vengeance of the Four fuel the Fifth." He spoke before setting ablaze and exploding spontaneously.

"Myth Busted." Emlie said as she powered down.

As Aaron did the same and approach her, he put his hand up to prevent her from saying anything. "Remind me to never make you mad. Anyway, we've got somewhere to be, I think you need a place to blow off some steam, so if you'll follow me." He told her heading off.

She was about to respond and try tell him again, but knew it was futile, instead rushing to catch up.

 **[The Dragon]**

The sun was setting and the area they were in was dark enough for the people in the building not to be seen by anyone outside, or inside for that matter. The place was completely dark as the two approached the hangout. Despite her protest that it was shut for the day, Aaron insisted and the two entered through the unlocked door, which seemed rather suspicious to her seeing as the place was supposedly shut for the day.

As the two struggled to see in the dark, Aaron spoke up as he headed further into the room. "Just a second, I'm gonna find the light." He called, before the sound of someone turning around was heard.

In a flash, the lights flickered on and the hiding small mass of people jumped up from the floor. Then everyone save Emlie shouted "surprise!" as others blew through party streamers and balloons flew into the air.

"Wow… Everyone…" Her previous grumpy mood was gone. 'Does that mean all that time out there was just to keep me occupied while they set up? Either way, they've done a good job.' She thought to herself before proceeding. "Thank you so much everyone!" She told them all with a beaming smile.

After the party had gotten underway, Emlie opened a small present in a white box with a red bow around it, finding a smaller box that would fit a further box and a small card. It read _messages don't always get through easily. Hopefully this makes up for anything like that._ No name nothing. On further inspection, it was a small solid silver bracelet with her name engraved into it.

Looking around, there was no sign of Aaron, which was odd since everyone else was still there. Upon any asking anyone at the party, nobody had known he left, when he left or where he had gone. Although disappointed he had gone, the gift she had received, presumably from him was now one of her greatest possessions.

 **[Command Center]**

Jamie was working late on deciphering the map with the rest of the locations when he heard a knock at the doorway. Looking over he saw Aaron waiting there patiently.

"Aaron, something up?" Jamie asked as he stood up and headed over to the Templar ranger.

"It's something about these weapons we're tracking down. Something we didn't know before. I'm not sure if the demons know, but there's another power to them. I don't know how it works exactly or how to describe it, but it's gonna give us the upper hand in defeating them if we get our hands on more of the weapons." He explained, taking a seat at the large glass briefing table.

"You know this could've waited. What's the real reason you were here?" Jamie asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, Something I wanted to discuss with you, if you don't mind." He responded to which Jamie gave a nod. "It's not something I'd like to happen right now, but I need your advice. It sorta involves Thyrsus, and someone else…" He began as the two discussed a very important and trivial matter, not knowing that perched on the ledge of a window, observing everything said and done, was a crow. Feathers of midnight black and eyes of sinister scarlet…

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 29 and only one more to go until the Brionac arc is over and we move onto the next one. Emlie tried so hard to tell Aaron how she felt, however fate, and a meddling writer who's drawing it out, denied her the ability to with several interruptions. But it's all for story progression now both sides definitely know about the unlocked divine power each weapon possesses which will play a big part in the future, I assure you all. Then there's the lightly touched subject of what Aaron and Jamie we're discussing at the end, I might have said enough for people to guess it right, but we'll see in future chapters. As for Horus,now he has the power of all four of his Attendants, he's a much greater threat now. I bet you're all a little annoyed that nothing happened between the two rangers now though. Have patience friends.**

 **I'll be trying to get double updates for stories out each week when possible and I'll attempt to write the next Martial Strike chapter and release it later today, tomorrow at the latest. This is due to me having more time on my hands and wanting to make better progression with these stories as I want to enjoy progressing through the stories more with you all and being able to present what I have next. I'm planning to finish by the end of the summer roughly, maybe earlier, maybe later, with at least one of these, or all of these, stories because I'm extremely excited for what I have planned for the future. That doesn't mean anything will suffer in quality, so benefits all around. That's all from me for now and I'll talk to you all later.**

 **Next Chapter: A long time coming**

 **Synopsis: Closing up our Brionac arc, Horus attacks the town in search for Brionac to amplify his own light power, showing his true and ugly self in the process. Can the white ranger and spear live up to the legend of the unbeatable warrior? Will the writer stop being so cold hearted and let this series actually have a real romance for once? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	31. Chapter 30: A long time coming

Ch30: A long time coming

A day after the events on the white rangers birthday and things had settled down well. Tomorrow would mark the last week of the school year for the town's youth. The Seniors would be leaving to other places for further education, the closest being Novaton University, which has reportedly been having strange occurrences, similar to those in Castelan, itself.

Emlie woke up nice and late, preparing for a lazy day. Getting changed and heading out by the door to see the sun was bright and beating down. She shook her head and headed back up to her bedroom.

"Weather like this calls for something a bit nicer." She said to herself, opening up her closet and pulling out a pristine white sundress. It was going to be a very hot day today, not all of the rangers were accustomed to the weather.

 **[Blackspire]**

"Looks like they're all gone now, returned back to me. My four attendants who have fallen, lend me your power. I shall become more powerful than before." Horus said as he stood in his lounge. Then darkness began to shroud him.

It consumed him and left him there for minutes on end, until finally, the cocoon of shadows burst open and standing where the boyish demon had been was a more obvious demon. It had the stature of a man, covered in golden brown feathers, talons at its feet, sharp clawed hands and instead of the human head was that of a humanoid looking falcon. From his robes he pulled out a pole weapon, almost like a sharp bladed hoe.

"This form is a little more old time and I do prefer not to use it. But when you four are too weak to take on, one maybe two of those rangers, I have to wield my true power and deal with them myself. Until then, your physical forms and individuality are gone. Learn from your mistakes." Horus said to himself, directing it at the four entities inside of him.

The game Horus had set up in case his servants failed was about to begin, his plans were in motion and he was certain he would not fail, for if he did, that would mean the end to him, one way or another.

 **[Du Lac residence]**

Aaron awoke as usual in his bedroom, the light peeking in through the gap in his curtains, birds chirping in the morning sunlight. He sat himself up and ambled his way over to a set of draws in his bedroom. From there he pulled out a pair of knee high shorts, knowing it was going to be a hot day, however due to how hot it was for him, the ranger didn't pick out a shirt.

After changing and heading downstairs in the living area, he saw Artemis sat down on the couch, She had a small laptop on her knee, which occupied her attention for the moment. Aaron came into the house late the previous night. Artemis knew he had gone out during the party, however not where or how, and she was a little concerned for him. One step near her and her head turned quickly to see her brother stood there.

"Where were you last night?" She asked him as he stood there, trying to think up of a good lie.

"I had to help out a friend, they had some problems and I went to help them with those problems." He said, almost hesitantly.

"It's a good job I know you're the kind of person to do something like that. But leaving the party just after it started, not the best move." She added, tapping away at the laptop.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, trying to keep himself oblivious to what she was suggesting.

"Honestly, you and Emlie like each other right? I've seen how she acts around you and I've seen how you look at her when you think no one's looking." She said, smirking a bit because of how easily she worked it out.

The ranger turned away as he responded to his nosy sister. "I-I… That's a lie. I've seen nothing like what you've said." He told her, lying terribly.

"Either you're denser than anyone in the world or you're a really terrible liar. Just ask her out. If you don't. Guess who will." Artemis said, giving a malicious grin at him.

Aaron gave a sigh and turned to face her again. "Fine. You know, you can be devious when you put your mind to it. Wait, what are you doing on that computer anyway?" He asked, walking over and looking at her screen, his face turning unimpressed quickly. "How long have you been watching cat videos?"

"Let's see… since nine this morning." She told him, before looking at the clock on the monitor as Aaron did.

"You've been at it for an hour. Well, Missy, I'm so happy to dub you an airhead. Who watches cat videos for a whole hour?" He said, laughing to himself.

"Aw come one!" She complained as Aaron began to head for the door. "Hey where you going?" Artemis asked as he stood by the doorway.

"I'm off to make amends for leaving yesterday. I suggest you do something more productive than watching mr. whiskers chase after a laser pen all day." He said half-jokingly as he left, causing some embarrassment to her.

 **[The Dragon]**

After the party yesterday, everything had been cleaned up and the hangout was back to normal, Customers were at a low as most of them were out enjoying the sun as usual when it got to those last weeks before the summer holidays officially started. Emlie sat in the ranger's usual booth alone, aaron said he'd meet her there alone, after explaining this to her friends, they left understandingly, although there was no doubt they'd be wanting all the details after the two were done.

She was wearing the silver bracelet she had gotten for her birthday and was fumbling with her hands as she heard the door to the building open and saw the ranger enter. As he sat down, sweaty from the heat, Aaron wiped his brow before greeting her.

"Hey, sorry I left yesterday, there was just something I had to sort out. So I thought I'd make it up to you. I said I owed you some hangout time, without the others, so if it's okay, we could do it later today, when the heat's settled." He explained to her.

"Sure!" She beamed as soon as he finished his sentence. "But if I remember correctly, you also said you owed me a meal." She said cheekily.

"Well I guess there's no arguing then. We better go find the others." He told her with a chuckle. 'How was I such an idiot not to notice her attitude to me before?' He asked himself.

 **[Castelan Park]**

Only a day after the park was attacked and a short time later, in the afternoon, everything was back to normal again. Despite the number of times it has been attacked, people still seem to enjoy hanging out there. And it was no exception for the rangers either.

The rangers, save Lexa and Tyson were sat on a couple of benches enjoying the sun and waiting for the final two rangers to arrive, which Percy saw what appeared to be Tyson coming into the park.

As the yellow ranger got closer, you could see that he was carrying Lexa on his back. Yet as he came to a halt in front of the ranger and crouched down to let Lexa off of his back, the rangers began to snigger at his face.

"What happened to you?" Aaron asked, to which Tyson sighed.

"I made the very wrong decision to make a bet with Lexa and lose." He groaned as he stood up, revealing someone had applied women's makeup to his face.

"They asked me which of their presents I liked best, Lexa got me this cute little bag while all Tyson managed to get was a set of soaps. While they do smell nice, they don't really have any use." Emlie told them.

"The bet was $20. Tyson's too cheap to give away that much so he's my slave for the day, and first thing I did was make him let me put makeup on him." Lexa finished as the others kept laughing.

"Hey, Tyleena, nice look." Percy joked.

"Well I for one think you look pretty Tyson, just like one of the girls." Emlie told him, poking fun at the yellow ranger too.

"Guys. We better stop now." Ben cut in, as much as he would like the comedic effect to continue, now wasn't the time.

"Man, these guys love going to the park more than the kids do." Percy said as he and the other five turned to see a cohort of Thralls marching behind the birdlike Horus.

The six rangers got up and drew their morphers as the Thralls began terrorizing civilians. "Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" The rangers called, morphing and drawing their blades, aide from Emlie who summoned Brionac from her amulet.

It retained the same form it took when it was unlocked, but the destructive potential of the weapon seemed to be at bay for the time being. While the other five fought off the Thralls, the white ranger vaulted over the minions to take on Horus by herself.

"Hello white ranger. I feel it was a mistake allowing you to take the spear now. Though I did wish to test the legend. See if it was true to it and so far I am impressed. Yet even if you have managed to slay my four minions, it shall not be enough. Their power runs through me now, so I may triumph where they have failed. You may not recognise me, but there is no mistake, I am the Demon Horus, and it does me great displeasure to see you again. Now I'll be taking that from you." Horus told Emlie, pointing his weapon at her.

Emlie shook her head as she pointed the spear at Horus. "You guys have been a pain in the neck for too long now. I'm gonna push you out of the way and stop you ruining everything." She growled at horus, before lunging at him with her weapon.

Horus swiftly knocked her blow to the side, landing an attack of his own and sending her tumbling to the ground. Spinning his hoe-like weapon around, he placed a glowing orb onto the weapon which seemed to just float above it.

"Time to face the true power of light, ranger." The birdlike demon laughed maniacally before jolting the weapon forward, forcing a powerful condensed beam of light to shoot out of the weapon and head for the white ranger.

However the Templar ranger managed to jump in at the last minute, blocking it with his blade. "I can't hold this for much longer, get out of the way and finish this creep off." Aaron said, turning his head to look at Emlie.

"Always doing the valiant thing." She sighed. "Just be careful." Emlie added, rolling out of the way as the light beam intensified and blasted the ranger, sending him flying back a good ten feet.

"You humans. You never learn, always jumping in the way and sacrificing yourselves, when there is no hope of winning. Weaklings, all of you."

It distressed her a little, but primarily made her angry. "Coming from you demons? You let each other fall one by one, not stopping to help each other along the way. Working alone is why you'll always lose. It takes courage to sacrifice yourself to keep anyone safe. You'd never understand that. So now I'm going to make you pay!" Emlie declared as Brionac and Emlie began to radiate with white light again.

"Divine Luminous Pierce!" The white ranger called as it grew even more intense, blinding all around as she charged forwards and pierced the demon through the heart and setting him ablaze before he exploded as the light died down.

"Interesting, maybe that's the reason." Aaron commented to himself as he got up and joined the others who had wiped out the Thralls.

Before anyone could celebrate however, the ground began to shake as the ashes in the pile that were the remains of Horus rose up and the demonic fires began to materialise as Horus was reborn a giant.

"Looks like some of these demons can grow big too." Percy said as they all looked up at the giant demon.

"I can take it. The rest of you be ready to back me up if needed" Aaron told them, summoning his zord and transforming it into the Lionheart Megazord.

As the two giants traded blows with their weapons, blocking and punching when needed.

"I don't think he's gonna last much longer." Lexa commented as the five of them viewed from the ground.

"We should get up there then!" Tyson added as the Megazord was kicked to the floor. Horus pounding it with his weapon, causing it to spark as it remained on the ground.

'I have to help, I can't just stay here on the ground and do nothing!' Emlie yelled inside her head, then both her amulet and spear began to glow with a white aura. The others looked in confusion as the light intensified.

The white wolf zord charged forwards and pounced on Horus biting into his arm, but was flung off and injured by the demon. While it allowed the Megazord to stand up, it didn't help too much. That was until the white ranger joined her zord.

Jumping inside, she felt a surge of energy as the interior became illuminated. On the outside, the zord was covered in pure white light as it began a metamorphosis, changing shape. When the light burst away, a large metallic white canary was in the place of the wolf zord.

"It's a canary?" Emlie asked as the zord took to the skies by itself before diving down and attacking Horus with its wings.

Horus sparked with each hit and stumbled away from the Lionheart. Aaron smirked under his helmet. "I have no idea what's going on right now but it seems to be doing the job, take it home Emlie!" Aaron exclaimed.

She gave a nod while in her cockpit. "All right. Time to finish this demon for good. Canary's Cry!" She called as the Canary zord flew up high and opened its metallic beak, letting out an ear shattering screech that caused Horus to wail in agony, before the wings of the zord pierced through the demon and damaged him fatally.

"Oh the irony in this." He complained before exploding into a whirlwind of fire.

"Myth Busted!" Emlie confirmed as the Canary zord swooped through the sky, finally landing on the Lionheart Megazords shoulder.

 **[Du Lac residence]**

The sun was low in the sky now and ready to set, it was late now. Artemis and Aaron sat in the lounge, Aaron was dressed up in a smart red shirt and had a pair of black dress pants on while his sister was in a pair of blue shorts and a dark green tank top.

There was a ring at the door and Aaron got up. "Well I'm guessing she's here now, off up to your room Missy." He told Artemis.

"You know I'm gonna get you back for every time you call me that right." She said, after a long pause she realised the entirety of what he said. "Why? I wanna see how this plays out!" She complained in a strop.

"If Lexa failed to convince me, who is sneaky and scarily persuasive, what chance do you have, no off up to your bedroom." He told her, she gave a groan as she went up the stairs before Aaron headed over and opened the door.

Emlie was there, smiling as he greeted her and told her to come in. "So, I thought I'd treat you to a meal that I'd make. I know you guys love my cooking. 'The main reason I refused to let Lexa sit in on this.' He added in his head. "But anything out of my mothers family cookbook is probably the best thing anyone will ever taste." He told her leading her to the table with a rather exquisite looking meal set out.

"You did all this, just because you owed me a meal?" Emlie asked as he held out the chair for her to sit on before sitting down himself.

"Partially. Also because I feel a little guilty about leaving yesterday. But there's something else. I'm honestly not good with this. I don't really notice when it happens and things seem to come and go quickly. But this is different. I'm sorry about yesterday. But I guess what you were trying to say yesterday is what I'm trying to say now." He told her, causing the white ranger to blush a little. "Emlie, I like you. I guess I have for a while now, just been unsure of how to say it, so if you still feel the same…" He said, being cut off by another voice, that seemed to come from the far corner of the room.

"Just kiss already!" It was Artemis who shouted it as she peeked out from the stairway.

Aaron went bright red at the embarassment. Emlie laughed a bit at it before speaking up. "Well when you're after doing the same thing, give the crowd what they want." She told him, leaning over with the happiest smile he had seen her have, grabbing his shirt and pressing her lips against his in a long held kiss.

"Finally!" Artemis exclaimed, laughing at the fact she thought it was mostly because of her that the two had gotten together in a matter of hours after her intervention, compared to the months of work anyone else had put into doing it.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter thirty over and done with. Artemis' last line basically portrays my thoughts on the whole matter, it's finally over, no more awkwardness with it and they can finally be open. Now I've got all that lovey stuff out of the way, there was a hint toward how the weapon's sealed power is unlocked for the rangers to used and finish off the demons, which Aaron picked up on and the introduction of zords becoming other ones. This is a permanent transformation, slightly inspired by how the dino zords became the thunder zords, it'll be fun to write it out when each gains their zord transformation and I unveil the new look for their megazord, because that's obviously coming now.**

 **I'm planning on getting a few chapters of different things out this week so that's gonna be fun, especially with everything going off in the other stories and as we move into the next story arc for Mythos. So without further Ado, here's the preview for the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Parashu**

 **Synopsis: After defeating Horus, who had no real intention of giving Brionac, Abaddon summons the commander of the sixty legions to lay waste to the human world with his eternal army. Only one ranger can find the legendary battle axe after its location is discovered before the sixty legions are unleashed upon earth. Can the rangers keep the demon horde at bay? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	32. Chapter 31: Parashu

Ch31: Parashu

The middle of the last week of school, everyone in the school basically judged this as the end of the year anyway, even if not actually the last day yet. The teachers however were just as strict as ever and weren't letting up on the students.

The bell rang and students piled out to enjoy the late june sun. All six rangers strolling out in their summer wear, but were stopped when their communicators went off.

"Hey, we're all here, what's up?" Ben asked, pulling his morpher out as the rangers gathered around.

"I've got a lock on the location of the next weapon, Doc says you need to get there quickly." Jamie's voice informed them, each of them gave a nod.

"We're on our way." Aaron confirmed over the communicator before they headed off, Ben taking the lead on this one.

This however would be no simple retrieval task for the rangers, it would change their perceptions on demons for a long time to come.

 **[Blackspire]**

In Abaddon's throne room, the demon prince sat, looking at the subordinate before him, a trusted second to Fleruty, the success chance of this demon was above so many others.

The demon was as human looking as those before him, graceful black wings with white highlights sprouting from his back, a shadowy aura surrounding his head, the demon had no iris, eyes completely black. On either side of his cheeks were black stripe markings. He wore battle armour similar to Fleruty's bearing the mark of Abaddon upon his shoulder plate.

"Abigor, commander of the sixty legions. Welcome. I assume that you have a plan for releasing your demon soldiers upon earth?" Abaddon asked the demon commander known as Abigor.

Abigor nodded. "I shall need your servants to place these seven totems around the town below, similar to the biblical seven seals, all of these totems activated shall free my forces from the cursed realm and allow you to take the world my lord."

"Fleruty, what is your opinion on this plan?" Abaddon asked the general who stood at the foot of the throne, by his master's side.

"As long as the warriors are successful, you shall have thousands of the pure blooded demons at your command and ready to conquer the world, master." Fleruty informed his master, confident in the abilities of one of his most trusted commanders.

"I understand. Very well, Abigor, take as many Thralls as you require. Do not fail or betray me as Horus did." Abaddon ordered, implying a threat with his last few words.

 **[Dark Cave]**

Castelan was looking to be the home of the majority of the weapons judging by the closeness of them on the map, however Thyrsus was farther away from it and even more so for the projected location of Excalibur.

The unmorphed rangers travelled deeper into the cavern, until they came across another chamber, similar to what they had seen when retrieving Thyrsus and Brionac, it was a wonder to them why no one had been down here already after the weapons. That's what they had thought at least until they looked at the stone plinth where they would find the weapon they had come for.

"It's not here?" Tyson asked, confused as to why it wasn't present.

Ben walked over and brushed his hand over the stone pedestal, revealing that a note had been covered by the dust. He cleaned it off and opened it up. "There's a note here everyone!" He called to them, getting their attention. "Nice try treasure hunters, your journey should end here, yet if you're after this weapon for a very specific reason, then come to this address - AS" Ben read, below was an address that was in Castelan.

"Well everyone, seeing as they're inviting us and it might be a trap, it's a decision we'll have to make together…" He trailed off as his communicator went off.

"Doctor Blake here. We've just got word of a group of Demons planting a structure in the middle of town. We need you there now." The voice of their mentor came over the device.

"I'll take Percy and Tyson with me, see what we can do, the rest of you need to get that weapon." Aaron ordered, taking charge of the situation.

"Just be careful, it might be a tough fight." Emlie said to her boyfriend, worried about him a bit seeing as they were going in with half a team.

"I could say the same for you." He responded, Lexa cleared her throat to tell them to get a move on.

"Honestly if they're gonna be like this during missions, I'd prefer things to back to how they were. Not that it won't be fun messing with them later on." She remarked, speaking to the black ranger.

"Why am I not surprised that you're planning something again?" Ben asked, half-joking about how predictable she was with this stuff.

"You may have a point, I gotta get some new material." She said as the six split up to cover the two objectives that were set.

 **[Castelan house]**

The three of them arrived at a rather pleasant suburban house with a porch and a white picket fence, rather stereotypical. Ben rang the doorbell and the six of them waited outside for a few minutes until the door opened.

In a red bathrobe, wearing black slippers was a middle aged man with spiky black hair and sunglasses over his eyes. He looked to see the amulets around their necks and smirked.

"So you guys are the new chosen warriors then. Nice to meet you. I guess that you're here for Parashu, that battleaxe, am I right?" He asked them with a sinisterly pleasant voice.

"Yeah, I'm Lexa, this is Ben and She's Emlie." The pink ranger introduced as the man gestured for them to enter the house which also looked plain and ordinary.

"Nice to meet you. The humans call me Steven, but seeing as you know there's more to this world than just humanity, you can call me Azazel, former King of the Royal house of the Underworld. House Satan." He introduced, causing the rangers to become guarded.

"You're a demon?" Emlie asked as the three pulled out their morphers, preparing for a fight.

"Yes I am, now put down your silly little devices and hear me out. I'm not working with Abaddon, I'm one of the reasons that he lost the war many centuries ago anyway. Sit down and I'll explain." He told them.

While still cautious they headed his words and sat down, yet their guards remained up. "There are five kinds of demons in the world you see. The orange demons, green demons, blue demons, red demons and finally the crimson demons. After the crimson demons went to war with this and other worlds, they were banished from our circle and are currently the ones fighting to take earth under Abaddon. I am a red demon, former member of the house Satan, a governing body of the Underworld. Now I won't bother you with the politics of it all, I'll save that for someone who's actually concerned with the stuff. Now I get to enjoy retirement unaging till I'm slain and I enjoy the human world. So take Parashu and kill as many Crimson demons as you want, just please leave your prejudice at the door when it comes to the others. They're good people, and you don't want someone like Behemoth of Phoenix breathing down your neck about it, they can be really sensitive when it come to the ignorance of humans." Azazel informed them.

"So Abaddon and his crimson demons are rogues then? Why not fight them yourselves or imprison them?" Ben asked inquisitively.

"Not everyone supported the decision to banish them. They were taken to the cursed realm once but they escaped with the aid of beings from this world, it's futile for us to send them back and impossible for us to agree to act. Besides, you seem to have them under control, especially with the cursed realm in such disarray at the moment." Azazel elaborated. "I'm sorry I can't do anything, but I don't hold the power to."

"So why do you know so much if you've been retired for centuries?" Lexa asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I still have some of my resources, now then." He vaguely explained, getting up and heading to the mantlepiece in the living room and pulling the axe down from it. "I hope you don't see all demons as uncivilized beasts, you may not know but there are more of us among your people as you might think, including other beings. I bid you well in your fight rangers." He finished, escorting them to the door while Ben held the axe.

Once out of the door, Lexa turned to the others. "Do you think the others managed to stop the demons and whatever they're planning?"

"If not then we'll have a fight on our hands, luckily we have Brionac and now Parashu in our arsenal, hopefully we won't need it." Ben responded, examining the axe which seemed to be in its smallest form at the moment, appearing as a war axe.

"I'll just check in with the others then, they should've beat the demons in town by now." Emlie said to them, pulling out her phone.

 **[Downtown Castelan]**

Earlier, while the others were discussion with Azazel. The three morphed rangers came onto the scene to find Thralls guarding what looked to be a weird stone structure situated in the exact middle of town. Drawing their blades they engaged the Thralls, deciding to take out the current threat before examining what they were up to.

Tyson brought his fist around and smashed it into the face of a Thrall, staggering it and denting its crude metal helmet before letting his elemental lightning surge through his blade, cutting through the Thrall with ease and forcing it to incinerate in a whirlwind of fire.

Using his elemental power, Percy cut down a number of Thralls with high pressure water slashes from his blade. One charged at him from behind, however the blue ranger span his blade around and drove it into the minion's stomach, causing it to drop to the ground and go up in flames as he removed it.

Aaron's sword ignited as a number of Thralls approached from all areas. The Templar ranger drove his blade through one as he was struck from behind by another, although this injure him slightly, he came back by sending out a bolt of fire which ignited and defeated the Thrall. Given a window, he span around with his flaming Templar blade, cutting horizontally through the foes until they all burst into flames and dissipated.

The three rangers regrouped and examined the object, which began to glow with a dark aura. "What is this thing?" Percy asked, perplexed by the artefact in front of him.

"I say we smash it before anything happens!" Tyson suggested, swinging his blade at it, only to be blasted back by some kind of defence mechanism on the object.

"No good, any other bright ideas?" Aaron asked as it kept pulsing with dark energy.

"I think we're too late…" Percy grimaced as bright red lines began to arc out from the artefact, others from different locations did so too, joining together to create some kind of ritual circle, with the three rangers being at the center of it all.

Before anyone could say a word, a large swirling portal and mass of shadows, opened up above the object and out marched an army of demons, many were thralls, yet others appeared to look far stronger and deadly with their uniqueness.

"Looks like we've got a fight on our hands, and I'm not too sure that we can win this one." Aaron sighed in doubt as the three present rangers faced up to the growing legions of demons that had begun to infest the area. The rangers weren't sure that they could win, but they were sure that they would fight off as many as they could.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 31. A third shorter than usual, but I wanted this to be a filler chapter of sorts that leads up to a large battle for the rangers where Parashu can come to life as a weapon that can destroy demons with such finesse. It also was an opportunity for some world building and a teaser of something I have in the works with one chapter complete, but I won't be releasing it for a while yet, maybe if something goes on hiatus for a little bit though.**

 **I'm planning to get more things out this week so bear with me, there will be another Mythos chapter in a day or two but till then, I'm gonna take a break, I've been writing for other things all day and I've gotta rest my brain.**

 **Next Chapter: Demon Slayer**

 **Synopsis: With Abigor's sixty legions free it's up to the rangers to hold them off for as long as possible while waiting for the one thing that could save them. Can the true power of Parashu be unlocked or will this see the end to the rangers? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos**


	33. Chapter 32: Demon Slayer

Ch32: Demon Slayer

Tyson, Percy and Aaron stood with their weapons drawn as the portal swirled and the final members of the sixty legions emerged before the swirling mass of darkness dissipated and the demonic warriors stood ready to fight.

They let out menacing roars as they stood to attention as another demon approached. Abigor marched toward the legion and the rangers, the latter being an obstacle between the commander and his soldiers.

"Power Rangers! I have heard so much about you, how you've foiled my superiors so often. But that ends here. With my ritual completed, you now stand no chance. The sixty legions are free and Lord Abaddon's army is replenished. Now give in, otherwise my army will destroy you. Sixty thousand strong, you shall not win!" Abigor proclaimed, raising his battle axe to the sky as the legions let out a thunderous war cry.

Tyson looked at the others, giving his blade a quick spin. "So what do you think? I'll take the twenty thousand on the right, Percy can do the same on the left and you take care of the rest in the middle. Sound good?" He suggested.

"I'm starting to think you have suicidal tendencies." Percy commented.

The yellow ranger laughed. "No, just battle tendencies."

"If were done with the banter I think we should get to wiping these demons out, at least as many as we can till the others get here." The Templar ranger cut in, the other two nodding before they ran into the seemingly endless horde.

As Thralls surrounded Percy, he created a dome barrier around himself before they could attack using his water element. From here, he proceeded to manipulate the water again sending it out in a powerful blast, wiping out the demons in his immediate area. Now having some ground to fight on, Percy charged in slashing at the demons with element boosted attacks.

Tyson charged his blade with electricity as he slashed and stabbed at the legionnaires, either wounding them or causing them to incinerate and disappear. He was doing well but exhaustion would start to hit him in the coming minutes.

Aaron blasted a group back with a powerful bolt of fire, proceeding to bring his sword around using a spinning motion to cut through as many enemies as possible that were in range of his sword. 'I wonder how the others are doing, hopefully they have the next weapon by now, I don't know how long we can hold out but I doubt it'll be for much longer' He thought as he and the others continued to fight the almost infinite army.

 **[Castelan Streets]**

Ben, Lexa and Emlie rushed down the streets toward the battle that was unfolding, each of them were currently unmorphed but they were nearing the fight now and could hear the war cries of the sixty legions.

"They didn't respond when we called them, you sure they're alright?" Emlie asked, worried about the others who were fighting right now with the amount of noise coming from the area.

"I doubt they're in much trouble, just the standard amount of demons I'd say, though they do seem awfully noisy right now." Lexa responded.

"I don't think that's the case." Ben informed them, pointing to the lines of soldiers gathered that were waiting for their chance to fight the rangers.

"That's a hell of a lot of demons." Lexa commented as the three stopped in their tracks.

"With the amount there is, I don't think the others can fight them all." Ben analyzed, clutching the axe in his hands. The legends supposedly came true when the weapon was unlocked, even then it had power, maybe not enough, but it was something. So he had to try and use it.

"We've gotta get in there, even if we don't win, it's still better than letting the others get torn apart!" Emlie asserted, pulling out her morpher, the other two followed suit.

"Lead the way." Lexa said to the white ranger as the three raised their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" The three called, morphing and running in. Emlie summoned Brionac as Ben readied Parashu, thinking hard on how to unlock its full potential.

The three of them worked their way to the other rangers, taking down as many demons as they could and vaulting over the masses as they slowly approached.

Aaron looked forward after cutting down another demon seeing the three rangers approach. "Looks like the others are here!" He called out to the other two rangers. All three of them were fatigued from the non-stop fighting that they had been doing for over an hour now.

As Lexa, Ben and Emlie vaulted over the front of the demonic horde and rushed over to help the others, Abigor approached from behind the Templar ranger. With one powerful swing, he struck Aaron and sent him flying off his feet and into the magnitude of demons. The ranger grunted, struggling to get up as he demorphed.

"Aaron!" The five called out in shock as their leader was easily knocked aside by the demon commander.

Light began to channel from the blade of Brionac as Emlie lunged at Abigor, angered that the demon had hurt him. The commander smirked and easily knocked her spear to the side. He proceeded to kick the white ranger to the ground and was about to bear his axe down on her before Percy and Lexa jumped in to defend the fallen ranger. Yet Abigor still proved too strong and slammed his battle axe into them, knocking them off of their feet and putting them out of commission too.

"Tyson, the others are down, what do we do?" Ben asked as the two cut through the demons at a moderate pace.

"It's all up to you. Don't let that guy be the end of us, I'll hold them off for as long as I can but It won't be much longer, take that guy down while there's still time." The yellow ranger told him, sounding completely exhausted.

Ben nodded and left Tyson to fend off the legions for as long as he could. The black ranger ran up and stopped Abigor's battle axe with his own before it connected with the other rangers and caused further harm to them. Abigor pushed down on Parashu and forced Ben down onto his knee as the two forced their weapons against each other.

"Fool, you think you can stop my army with your friends? Believe that your weapons can stop a force of this size? There is nothing that can stop us now!" Abigor roared as he kept the force coming on Ben's weapon.

Ben grunted as he began to lose his footing, his arms shaking. He was ready to give up but knew better. Lost inside the demon hordes, Tyson groaned as he was cut down and demorphed, collapsing to the ground. With all six down, the stakes were very real. The black ranger pushed with all his might against the demonic commander.

'I can't give in, I won't give in!' Ben thought as a shock wave from Parashu sent Abigor flying back and slamming hard against the ground. The demon legions hesitated for a second as Ben stood up holding Parashu as it took on its full appearance.

The weapon had two huge arcing blades on either side as a usual battle axe would, while having a third of these blades attached to the top of the weapon and one at the very bottom. The weapon's shaft was two metres long which dwarfed the black ranger as he held the middle with one hand.

Taking hold of it with both hands, he gave it a spin, showing even with its size that would seem to make it unwieldable by anyone that was less than a giant, he could use the weapon like an expert.

Abigor rose and stood firm. "Surely this weapon is nothing compared to our sheer might. Warriors, attack!" He called as the demon legions charged forward.

Ben slashed with the huge axe, wiping out the first three lines of demons as if they were nothing. The rest of the armies stopped in their tracks as Abigor's eyes widened. "Looks like you guys are nothing compared to this thing, I guess that Azazel had that little talk with us so we wouldn't wipe his people out too."

"Azazel? Those traitorous demons!" Abigor roared, signalling for his armies to carry on marching forward.

Ben jumped up into the air and slammed his battle axe down onto the ground causing a large shockwave that staggered the demons before the earth rose up out of the ground large jagged rocks impaling and incinerating many demons before receding into the ground.

With each hit more and more demons fell to Parashu and the black ranger, those that were still fighting were losing their morale quickly as their numbers were thinned. Those that remained began to retreat and cower in fear, heading to the Blackspire in hopes of being saved from Parashu's wrath.

Abigor growled at the cowardice of his men. "Get back here and fight! The legions never lose! Fine, I'll destroy this ranger myself!" He roared, pointing his axe at the ranger and marching forward as his remaining forces fled.

"Looks like it's just you and me." Ben said as he wiped out another line of soldiers, causing any that did remain to retreat, leaving only two of them to fight it out as the other rangers lay there unconscious.

"Give me your best shot!" Abigor challenged. Ben gave a nod and charged in with his axe.

The black ranger struck at Abigor but the latter was able to stop it causing Ben to hesitate. With the time he bought, the demon commander tripped Ben to the ground and slammed his axe down in order to strike the ranger, Ben rolling out of the way just in time as it hit the ground, clashing against the concrete.

"You're clever you know that, but I won't allow a demon to outsmart me!" Ben called as he charged in again the same way as the first time, to which Abigor blocked in the same way.

"Doing the same thing the exact same way again expecting a different outcome is a sign of idiocy. I hoped you were worthy to face a tactical mind such as mine a second ago, it seems that you aren't even as smart as a Thrall. A pity." Abigor said, attempting to demean his opponent.

"You'd be right if I was doing the same thing as last time." Ben said confidently, prompting Abigor's eyes to widen as he saw exactly what had happened.

Quickly, the black ranger stabbed the bottom blade of Parashu into the ground where rocks emerged from under Abigor's feet, completely immobilising him, the demon commander struggled to get out but to no avail.

"Very well done. Maybe you'd give Fleruty a hard time." He chuckled, impressed with his opponent.

"Never underestimate an adversary, no matter how weak they may seem." Ben said as he spun his weapon around, stone growing on each of the blades.

"Divine Stone Cleave!" Ben called as he charged in and hit the demonic commander with all the force of Parashu, forcing Abigor to burn up into a whirlwind of fire.

Yet it was not over. The flaming tornado intensified and grew before bursting out as the demonic commander was reborn a giant. The black ranger looked over at the others to see that they were still out of commission.

He gave a sigh. "Looks like it's up to me." Ben said as his amulet began to glow and his black ape zord emerged and tackled Abigor to the ground.

The demon picked up the ape zord and flung it effortlessly through the air, causing it to go crashing into a treeline. Ben's zord rose up but looked extremely beaten up by that attack. The black ranger jumped up into the cockpit of the ape zord, where it gave out a thunderous roar. Then its body began to seize up, a cocoon of stone growing around it. Inside the cockpit a similar transformation began and was creeping up the ranger's legs also turning him to stone.

"What's happening!?" He cried out as he and the zord were turned to stone.

Abigor was weary of this, he wasn't sure if his victory was assured or not. 'What trick are you playing now black ranger?' He asked in his head, pacing back and forth in front of the stone zord.

Minutes went by until the stone cracked and a bright light burst out from within, blinding Abigor as the rest of the stone crumbled away. In place of the ape zord was a mechanical mole, primarily black, it had part of a drill on the front of its head while two more sections to complete the drill on its two front hands. It was currently on all fours.

Inside, Ben gave a gasp after the stone crumbled away and he stood looking at the new zord. "A mole huh? I guess this is more my kind of thing." The black ranger said to himself as he took control of his newly transformed zord. "Okay mole zord, let's go for a spin!" He said, taking the controls.

"You are a smart one black ranger, I admire you, but don't think I'll go down quietly!" Abigor roared as the mole charged forward.

He was ready to strike the black ranger's zord with his axe but looked on in surprise as the zord put its hands and face together to complete the drill and began spinning quickly, drilling a hole in the ground. Abigor smirked.

"I'll not let you get the best of me this time!" He called out as the ground shook beneath him.

The mole zord drilled up from beneath the surface and came straight up from below Abigor, striking the demon and causing him to spark as he fell backwards.

"Time to end this. Tunneling Drill Run!"Ben called out as the mole zord completed its drill again and began spinning rapidly before lunging at Abigor.

It drove into the demon and sparked him further before tearing a hole through him. Abigor gave a laugh.

"You've done well this day ranger, I'm proud to be defeated by an opponent such as you. But be warned, my army is still strong, even when you have weakened it, another will rise up and win the battle, for Prince Abaddon!" He called out before being taken by the vortex of flames again.

"Myth Busted!" Ben confirmed as the mole zord powered down, triumphant over a very dangerous adversary.

 **[Blackspire]**

Abaddon sat on his throne, Reaper tending to him when the former spoke up.

"So the rangers now have three of the seven artifacts. You understand that even if they possess one of the weapons, my ascension can never be completed, correct?" The demon prince told Reaper who nodded, already knowing.

"Indeed my lord. It is not my decision to let the rangers go after the weapons from now on without our intervention. Fleruty says that he is playing the long game, he commands all of your forces now. Perhaps this isn't the best course of action." Reaper elaborated, worried for his master.

"My body has recovered enough now that I may roam my spire without dying. When I return to full strength, I will not need the healing field created by my throne and will be able to take the weapons myself. Fleruty is nothing compared to me, if he were to try anything, he would be blown away. Fear not my servant. Just ensure that everything is ready for the ritual. It may look to be a long way off now, but it will come." The demon prince informed his subordinate.

"Yes sir, but with over half of the sixty legions gone, what will we do?" He asked again before the demon rose from his throne and walked about his throne room.

"We still have twenty nine full legions along with most of the thirtieth, along with the troops we have, we have a force big enough to launch attack to further our goals and ensure our victory. You see to rule the world, I don't need my forces. I only need them to secure the artifacts. Everything else is secondary. Anything else?" He asked, stretching his arms before producing six crimson demon wings from his back.

"My lord?" Reaper asked in the sudden confusion.

"I am the highest of demons and must assert my stature as such in other realms, you're asking yourself why am I informing you of this correct? Well it's pretty simple. I am going to the cursed realm again, to visit an old friend, even if they try to imprison me with their magic, it shall have no effect." Abaddon said, heading for the exit to the throne room.

"But how will you survive my lord?" Reaper asked, still concerned for Abaddon.

"Without the magic of this place? It's quite simple. The cursed realm is both timeless and deathless. One can spend eternity without aging or dying there, something that makes it far more torturous. As for the one I am going to see. Let's just say that he still holds a grudge for your betrayal." Prince Abaddon finished, leaving the room.

Reaper's eyes widened. 'He doesn't mean… I thought we removed him from all realms… I just hope that nothing comes of my master's visit…' Reaper gave a sigh as he too left the throne room to prepare himself for the worst.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 32. Parashu was completely unlocked as well as the transformation and introduction of the mole zord. I thought it was rather interesting to have a villain that admired his opponent's tactics but keep fighting anyway. The other rangers got pretty beat up though. Notice how the activation of Brionac and Parashu's true potential was different? Well there's a common factor that'll be explained in the next chapter. As for what Abaddon is going to do, let's just say he won't be the only villain there.**

 **On a side note, this story has been viewed at least 3,000 times now so I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who reads for taking an interest in this and enjoys my writing, I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my stuff, so thank you all.**

 **I've not been too well for most of last week and I was recovering still yesterday, while I'm still experiencing some effects, they are less potent than before and I should be completely fine soon. Partially the reason why the last chapter was so short is because I was dealing with it. That's all from me for now, thanks for reading and I'll talk later.**

 **Next Chapter: Too Trusting**

 **Synopsis: While the Parashu arc is practically closed off, this will tie up loose ends as well as bring about other events involving the rangers and non-rangers. Abaddon ventures to the cursed realm to speak with a familiar face while the rangers enjoy some downtime after the hectic battle and finish up school for the year, but even with the demons at bay, there are always troubles in their teenage lives, especially when family and friendship is tested. Can they resolve these problems? What is the sinister mind of Abaddon planning this time? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos**


	34. Chapter 33: Too Trusting

Ch33: Too Trusting

The cursed realm was a dark and desolate place, void of all natural life, rough dirt on the ground with a constant stream of ash falling from the hopeless void of a sky. At the centre of this realm was a large citadel of a structure, crude in appearance and seemed to drain any light that tried to escape from it.

The lone Abaddon marched through the ash fallen dirt, approaching the gates to the voiding prison complex, there a 'welcoming committee awaited the demon prince's arrival. Upon approaching them, Abaddon immediately identified them as fellow demons, yet not of his own sub-species. Two of the guards seemed to be brutish with ogre-like features and a set of tough looking horns pointing forward on their heads. The other two had orange skin that seemed to burn and illuminate like embers in the lifeless dimension. Their eyes glew with that very same fiery look and their horns pointed upward slightly while curving gracefully and pointing backward behind the head, the horns also had a singed look to them.

Each held a spear and were weary as the demon prince approached, wielding his signature longsword, his demonic wings spread.

Another guard at the controls to the black gate which separated the outside from the megastructure signalled for them to stop as he spoke up. This one had deep blue skin with delicate blue horns pointing straight backwards and looked smaller compared to the other's horns. "Halt trespasser! You are approaching the Black Fortress, prison complex for the most dangerous beings of society! By the four houses declare your name and submit yourself to us for interrogation!" The blue demon informed Abaddon who smirked.

"Pitiful. I'm greeted by servants of Behemoth, Phoenix, even the great house Leviathan, but not the leaders themselves. Inconsiderate to one of my stature. I guess I'll have to gain the attention." He said to himself, approaching the four demonic guards. "I am Prince Abaddon! Rightful heir to the great house Lucifer! You may have sealed those facts away and changed how things worked since then, but the truth never stays buried. Now take me to someone who matters or face the wrath of the crimson demons!" He announced, pointing his blade at the four guards.

The blue demon of house Leviathan became panicked. "Men, take him down! He's an escaped prisoner returned with ill intent! I'll raise the alarm!" The gate guard ordered, the four other demons nodded and charged forward, lunging at Abaddon with their spears.

The demon prince laughed, easily dodging the feeble attacks of the demons before striking with his sword and in one blow, destroying the four demonic guards before an alarm bell began to ring. 'I will not rest until I gain what I came for and if I have to kill every last traitor who guards this prison, then so be it.' Abbadon thought as he waited for more to come.

Within the bleak command room of the Black Fortress, another blue demon sat, he looked older and wiser than the guards, his hair was greying but still retained most of its colour.

A demon guard approached the greying commander. "Warden. It's Abaddon, he has returned, he wishes to see a high ranking officer. He already killed one group of gateguards in one blow. Should we inform the Underworld of our situation?"

"No. If he's returned there is a reason, but since he is out of his cell, he will have all of his power. No one here has the ability to stop him, nobody who can stop him anyway. Assemble riot armoured soldiers immediately and have them escort me to him, we best hear him out or risk the whole prison." The warden informed the guard who nodded and left to do so. 'I wonder, is his reason for being here because of the prisoner we received when he disappeared?'

 **[Du Lac residence]**

Saturday morning. The first day of summer for the students of Castelan. Artemis was sat down on the couch in the living room when her brother walked down the stairs and gave a yawn, rubbing his eyes as he did.

"Morning…" The ranger said lazily to his sister who watched as he shuffled around blindly. It was safe to say that in the summer, Aaron wasn't a morning person at all.

Artemis looked over to see his hands aimlessly moving around as he walked over to the kitchen and attempted to make breakfast. "Hey, come sit down here, I'll make some food for you." She offered, getting up and guiding him to a seat before heading over and making some breakfast. "Aaron, do you know if our Dad's gonna be home this summer? There's a lot of missed time to catch up on.

Aaron let out a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes again. "Okay I'm good now. In regards to that. Well dad's always headed to the family home in England every year. He's always gone alone though, never know why. Maybe it's to be away from here."

"Hmm… Okay, looks like it's just us two then." She said heading on over with a bacon sandwich for the ranger.

He studied the breakfast for a second, being rather thoughtful before taking a bite and giving a smile. "It's good, too good compared to what you normally make, that and this is probably one of my favourites... You want something don't you." He quickly deduced as he munched upon his sandwich.

"Well now that you mention it. You know the friends I've made in my class? Well they asked me to come to a big party later today and they'd want you and your friends to come along, if that's not too much trouble." She explained.

"You know you don't have to give me bacon if you want me to go somewhere with you, we're siblings, I don't have a choice." He joked, smirking what he'd just said to give it away.

Artemis gave him a little jab in the arm. "You're the worst you know that? But thanks for coming, a little support from my brother and friends would go a long way."

"That and I have to protect you from whatever idiot tries to make a move on you." He added, half joking at that last comment.

"You know, the amount of clichés you have is worrying." Artemis finished as they began chatting about random and unimportant subjects.

 **[Cursed Realm]**

At the gates to the black fortress, Abaddon waited patiently as a contingent of demon prison guards of the different species approached and formed a circle around the demon prince as the warden stepped forward, coming face to face with Abaddon.

The latter gave a maniacal and deathly grin as he looked at the warden. "So we meet again warden. Last time we spoke you were in a much more favourable position, but now things are different."

"Enough Abaddon. You're still under arrest to be returned to your cell. However out of curiosity, explain to me why you're here." The warden demanded as the other demon guards levelled spears at the demon.

"Among other more private things, I have come to free what remains of my army, along with others I would find useful. But immediately, I must wipe out every last one of you. I will not allow the weak to get in the way of my mission." The demon prince explained, drawing his crude blade.

"Men! Detain him immediately!" The warden ordered, causing the prison guards to point their spears at Abaddon and close in on him.

With swift motions, Abaddon cut through the prison guards easily before facing the warden again and driving his weapon through the blue demon. He quickly removed it and walked into the prison further.

"Pleasure doing business with you, warden." The demon prince mocked as the warden collapsed to the ground.

Further inside the prison complex were what appeared to be stone prison cells with no doors, yet a magical barrier over them to prevent them from fleeing. The prisoners inside could hear the commotions and saw guards scrambling to fight against the demonic thralls and commanders of Abaddon's Legions.

Soon enough, the demon prince came across a cell with a familiar being inside it. The being was a shadow entity, its eyes glowing a maleficent red inside the shrouding smoke.

Abaddon gave a chuckle. "So we meet again. I do hope you see the irony in this. As my servant long ago, you were the one who betrayed me and I was sent here after my defeat, only so you could take over. Then your servant trapps you to help free me and my armies. It would interest you to know I've already depleted your minions. But that's not what I'm here for. I need raw strength and power, something that can utterly destroy the power rangers. So tell me, Shadai, where are the Titans?" He asked, his voice sounding intimidating.

"There's only one left. The rest are already gone. Either in the first war, or by the hands of the rangers. If that's all you came for then you may be disappointed, he's been broken ever since his imprisonment here." Shadai informed the demon prince, laughing hysterically at that thought.

"I need not worry about that, I'm sure a chance at glory will do him good, now where is he?" Abaddon demanded.

"Look behind you." The shadow entity informed him, prompting the demon prince to do so, seeing what looked like a heavily built man in one of the cells in the fetal position.

"Very interesting. He may be broken, but he is known for his strength as a Titan. The leader of the Titan's himself. We meet again, Kronos."

 **[Du Lac Residence]**

All of the rangers were at the house now as they waited in the living room for Artemis to finish changing and come downstairs. The rangers had been informed of this end of year party by Aaron and were now discussing it.

Lexa nudged Aaron who looked over at her. "Isn't this Artemis' first party?" She asked.

The ranger thought about it for a second and gave a nod. "Pretty sure that it is." He stopped for a second, his eyes narrowing. "Wait, you aren't planning anything are you?" He asked, slightly accusing the pink ranger.

A sheepish grin came over her face. "What? When have I ever planned to do anything to someone for my own amusement?"

"You do that all the time!" The five other rangers exclaimed in chorus.

"Yeah, you got me there." She responded.

"Just try not to mess with her." Aaron added as Artemis finally came down ready for the party.

"What did I miss?" The young teen asked as the eyes of the rangers darted back and forth as if in a silent discussion on whether or not to explain Lexa's scheming.

"Oh nothing much." Tyson replied before any of the other rangers could.

"We should get going then!" Artemis enthused, going along with it before she and the six rangers left to go to the party.

 **[Blackspire]**

The demonic fortress was now alive with activity following the storming of the cursed realm prison. The majority of Abaddon's remaining forces roamed in patrols through the halls or readied themselves for combat against the rangers.

Fleruty rallied commanders and trained with them to make sure that they were one hundred percent ready for battle while reaper kept to his master's side in the throne room as the demon prince briefed his newest subordinate.

"So we have reached an agreement then. You will retrieve the next weapon before the rangers do and then when you have it you may destroy the yellow ranger to your liking as long as you return the weapon to me afterward. Is this acceptable?" Abaddon explained to the Titan stood at the foot of the obelisk thorne.

"All I care for is vengeance. Give me that and I shall do as you say." Kronos informed the demon prince.

A crude smile came over his face. "Then test your mettle against Fleruty. I want you to push your limits harder. The yellow ranger and his friends are much stronger than when you first fought them as reaper has told me and you must be ready to face them and their new abilities."

"So be it." Kronos snarled before stomping off the meet with the demon general.

Abaddon then turned to reaper. "You worked with Shadai's forces and the Titans. What did you think of them, can he be trusted?"

The aged man thought for a moment before answering. "The Titans proved powerful opponent every time they were fought against the rangers, but somehow they managed to overcome each and every one of them, even defeating Shadai's own general who was a Titan." He explained.

Abaddon thought it over. "Then it is a matter of who gets to the next weapon first. This will take time and cunning planning to execute this perfectly. Leave me." The demon prince ordered. Reaper gave a bow and left his master to plan as he must.

 **[The Party]**

Loud pop music was playing from a big set of speakers in the backyard the party was being played in while students from the high school mingled and danced to the music. The rangers and Artemis walked up to the front of the house and up on a porch where one of the girls from the group Artemis had been hanging out with greeted them.

"Hey, so you came! Great, party's round back, bathroom's upstairs. Have fun you guys!" She laughed happily as she finished her sentence before the rangers headed to the back where the party was.

Tyson noticed a group of his friends on one of the school sports teams he was on and waved to them before turning to his other friends. "Hey, I gotta catch up with the guys, our season ended with a nice win the last time we talked but we gotta talk game plans for the championship next year. You should come along Aaron, I think you'd like them, maybe even consider joining the team for next year."

The ranger smirked before pulling up his arm to show his hand was being held by his girlfriend. "I don't think it'd that simple all things considered."

"No worries, catch you all later!" The yellow ranger waved as he headed over to his sports teammates.

Percy nudged Ben. "Hey, gotta ask you about something in private." The blue ranger told his friend.

"Sure, everything okay?" Ben asked in response.

"Yeah it's just kinda personal and I'd like your help." He finished as the two walked away to discuss the matter.

"So since all of the boys are away, I guess the girls are gonna play." Lexa said before she heard Aaron distinctly clearing his throat. "Oh yeah, you and Emlie are a couple now and couples suck at parties like this so I'm ditching you, come one Artemis!" The pink ranger laughed taking hold of the younger teen's arm and dragging her off to the surprise of all the other teens.

"Hey wait a minute! You were planning this all along weren't you!? Get back here you cheeky little!" Aaron shouted as the two teens disappeared into the dancing crowd.

Emlie pulled him back as he tried to go after them. "Ah let them go, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Every time someone's said that and it involves Lexa, the worst usually does happen." He said, on edge about it.

"How about this then, we just find a nice quiet place, cuddle and talk and let the party go on." She told, leaning in close.

"But what if something happens?" He protested.

"It wasn't a suggestion." She smirked, pulling him away from it all.

Meanwhile, Percy and Ben found seats at an empty table set up in the backyard. The latter looked at the blue ranger, noticing he was a little on edge.

"Listen, I know you aren't really the kind of person who knows about this kind of stuff but, well you're probably the best person to come to who knows what's best with this." He explained.

"Can you explain a little more." Ben replied, being clueless as to what would come next.

"Well, you and Lexa have been friends since childhood, before you met the rest of us right. Well that's kinda why. You see, I kinda… Sorta… Like her." He explained to his friend.

Artemis and Lexa were in the crowd, when the latter spotted a familiar face in the crowd and growled. It was Ezekiel, narcissistic pretty boy of the school.

"Is something wrong Lexa?" Artemis asked, lacking the knowledge on what had happened prior.

"Well let's just say he's a big fat jerk." She vaguely explained before opening her bag and pulling a water balloon out of her bag.

"What are you planning?" Artemis asked, as the pink ranger tossed the balloon up in the air lightly and caught it.

"Sweet, sweet vengeance." She responded with a smirk before throwing the balloon with high force and laughing as it impacted with Ezekiel's face, causing water to splatter over him.

The crowd around him began laughing hysterically as did Lexa and Artemis. The latter, handed the bag to Artemis.

"Go fill the rest up, I have something even bigger planned." The pink ranger ordered Artemis who nodded and headed inside the house to the kitchen to fill them up.

Once there she could hear familiar voices, and they were currently talking about her, choosing to hide behind the corner and listen in, Artemis was about to learn the shocking truth about her supposed friends.

"Honestly, why do we keep her around? She's way too plain to be with us, I mean come on, once we get to senior year, we'll practically rule the school. Why do we want some useless baggage of a girl like Artemis following us around when we get to that place." One of the girls said.

"Well, being honest, she's just a means to an end. Once I get what I want, I'm gonna ditch her and nobody will care in the end, she'll be irrelevant." Another girl replied.

A mix of anger and annoyance filled Artemis' face. These girls just thought of her as a tool to use and then discard. 'They used me! I'll show them who's irrelevant!' She thought as the anger welled up inside her, marching up the stairs and filling the water balloons before heading to the backyard and finding Lexa again.

"Hey- Wait you look kinda angry, and upset. What happened?" Lexa observed as Artemis handed over the bag full of water balloons.

"Lets just say some people I thought were my friends aren't. And I want them to pay for using me." She explained to the pink ranger.

"Then let's find them" Lexa finished as they searched until they found the group of girls chatting away and being the center of attention. Lex passed her friend a water balloon. "You're on first hit, but notice the swimming pool over there? Once you throw it all hell's gonna break loose and we're gonna have a huge water fight." She explained to him.

Artemis nodded. "This' for using me." She said, slamming the water balloon as hard as she could at the head of the girls and soaking her with water. Shocked screams came from the group of girls as laughs went all around.

"WATER FIGHT!" Lexa yelled as she passed water balloons to some and threw them at others as everyone began to get soaked and a water fight broke out.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Emlie were sat on a bench at the back of the yard just in front of a large hedge. The former gave a sigh as they watched the water fight break out.

"Why do I get the feeling that Lexa started all this and somehow she's dragged my sister into it too?" Aaron asked to which Emlie just laughed.

"I think you were right though. Remind me to stop saying 'what's the worst that could happen' if we're talking about Lexa.

"Yeah, now come on, let's get in on the water fight, it's too damn hot and I've been deprived of fun till now!" He exclaimed standing up with Emlie still clung to his arm and charging into the water soaked battlefield despite his girlfriend's protests to stop, laughing as they ran in and were pelted by water balloons getting soaked by the projectiles.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that is chapter 33 of Mythos. The cursed realm just had the ultimate prison break and with the reintroduction of Kronos, the next arc is gonna be interesting. These fake friends of Artemis got what they deserved, and who says Lexa's scheming is always bad? This was a little filler to close up any outlying plot points and bring out a bit more of Artemis' character.**

 **After a few days with certain family members, I got a cold that was going around which they neglected to tell me so I've been sick and still am somewhat but I'm pretty much better enough now to carry on writing as I had to take it easy while I was bad. Things should return to normal though now and I think I'll be taking precautions next time.**

 **Next Chapter: Mjolnir**

 **Synopsis: The location of the next weapon is uncovered. Mjolnir, fabled hammer of norse legend and weapon of the god of thunder. As the rangers try to retrieve it, they have an incursion with the demons and a now freed Kronos, yet it Mjolnir all that it seems. Can they reach the weapon in time? Will they be able to finally defeat the last of the Titans? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	35. Chapter 34: Mjolnir

Ch34: Mjolnir

Within the now bustling blackspire, the demon forces were preparing for an all out assault on Castelan and the rest of the world now, the only hurdle to jump over was to take the legendary weapons from the rangers. Fleruty roamed the halls of the demonic spire until he came to a halt in front of one of the many rooms.

Opening it, the demon general walked in and turned to another that was already in the room, Kronos. The Titan was in new armour, the dark crude metal being the same as that worn by the demons and having a similar aesthetic too. The mark of Abaddon was branded into the left breastplate of his armour.

"Lord Abaddon has need of you, Titan. The rangers are on the move once again, and with their destination known, you are to ambush them and retrieve what they came for before they can get their hands on it." The demon general informed Kronos.

"So be it. I shall do as you ask if it means taking revenge on them." Kronos responded before rising from the seat he was on.

"Do not think of betraying my master, you'll regret it." Fleruty warned before the Titan stormed past him.

 **[Castelan deep forest]**

While the forest that surrounds Castelan has many visitors, the deep forest of Castelan is a dark and treacherous place. The older residents of the town and the more superstitious always believed it to be a place of evil and no one knowledgeable of the place would go there, not without good reason at least.

For the rangers, fortune was not in their favour as after the location of the next weapon was revealed, they were sent there to retrieve it before the forces of Abaddon could do so.

The sky was not visible for the density of trees and the leaves that blocked most all light from getting in. The deadwood trees were twisted and warped, making the whole place look eerie and give off an ominous vibe. To top off the sinister atmosphere, a thick fog enshrouded the ground, obscuring any obstacles that would lie underneath it.

As the six rangers cautiously made their way through the deep forest,Ben stopped walking, halting the others too as he was leading the way through the dangerous area.

"Something up?" Percy asked, being directly behind the black ranger.

Ben looked around the visible area of the forest, checking for something. "I don't know but I felt like something else was here. Like we're not alone."

"This place is bad news already without something creepy following us around, hopefully you were just imagining it." Lexa replied as the other rangers began looking around, now cautious of their surroundings.

"Let's just keep moving for now, hopefully nothing jumps out at us. I'll keep an eye out just in case though. Our destination shouldn't be too far ahead though, we better focus on getting there for now." Aaron told the others who lowered their guards once more and kept moving.

The six of them walked through the misty woods until they finally came to a bog, waters a putrid green and mist rolling on the surface, in the center of the bog was a large and eroded stone pillar, upon it was a large and rusted steel hammer, it was obvious that over the time it had been here, the elements had weathered and eroded it too.

The rangers sprinted over seeing the weapon on the remains of the pedestal and were shocked to find it in such poor condition, for a legendary hammer of the gods, it had certainly seen better days.

"That's the hammer?" Tyson asked, surprised that it was so worn and damaged.

"What a piece of junk." Lexa remarked as the yellow ranger walked over to the pedestal to grab the hammer.

What he didn't expect to happen was that the weapon wouldn't budge and Tyson couldn't understand. "Hey, this thing won't move, is there something wrong with this thing?"

"Maybe it's rusted into the stone or something like that." Emlie suggested to him as he tugged at the weapon.

"How wrong you are rangers." Came the voice of Kronos which startled the six of them and caused them to brace themselves, taking defensive stances.

Soon enough a large amount of Thralls burst out from behind the trees and surrounded the rangers.

Tyson's eyes widened as he realised just who it was that had ambushed them. "You. I sent you away, how can you be free again?"

"Stupid ranger, the last time I was trapped, I was freed by Shadai, it was not as long after you trapped me again that Abaddon freed me from the cursed realm with the rest of his forces, now I've come to take on you and your ranger friends, I will have my revenge!" Kronos exclaimed as he stomped over to the pedestal.

Aaron looked at the others. "I've got no clue who this guy is, what happened to make him this angry?"

"It was one of our first fights where Tyson managed to beat him through a combat trial and trap him again, since we didn't know how to deal with someone like him. He's the only Titan we didn't manage to destroy." Percy recounted to his friend.

"It seems that you've gotten stronger since our last encounter rangers, but even another one to your numbers will not defeat me. I am Kronos, and thanks to you rangers, I am the last of my kind, the last of the Titans. For that I shall exact vengeance upon you all." He told the six of them before flinging Tyson away from the hammer and clutching it with his own jagged gauntlet and lifting it with his superior strength.

"How could you lift that, it wouldn't even budge when I touched it?" Tyson asked, Getting up out of the shallow marsh.

"The hammer responds to those who are worthy, allowing them to wield it effortlessly. This hammer knows me, has fought me before, but because of my strength, I can lift it and use it against those who get in my way, regardless of it judging me as unworthy." Kronos explained.

"Looks like we'll need extra firepower to take you down." Aaron said as he and the others pulled out their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" They called out morphing and drawing their standard blades.

"Thralls, deal with them." Kronos ordered as he stood there, watching the battle that was about to unfold before him.

Ben called upon him elemental amulet power, causing spiked, needlelike stone to jut out of the ground and stab into the feet of a group of thralls. Percy followed this up by gathering the bog water around his feet to his blade using his elemental amulet power and slashing out with his blade, sending the bog water out in a high pressured attack, blowing them away in a surge of water and causing the thralls to burn up in a whirlwind of fire.

Lexa called up a miniature tornado around her blade and charged into the lines of the demonic footsoldiers, slashing them with her tornado infused blade. When she finished her hit and run attack, she turned around to view her handywork. The Thralls were now trapped, in small individual tornados and were spinning around, unable to break free. This was when Tyson charged up his blade with as much elemental electricity as he could before striking out at the immobilized foes and frying them, causing them to burn up in multiple small whirlwinds of fire.

The last group of the Thralls was being fought off by Aaron and Emlie. The white ranger focused her energy and channeled a mass amount of light to blind the Thralls as Aaron ignited his blade with fire before dashing forward and cutting horizontally into the minions. Each of the Thralls screamed in pain as the fires spread and seared both their armour and their bodies, yet it died down quickly. As soon as the fire had gone, Emlie allowed her blinding light to die down as she summoned Brionac and charged in, striking the Thralls and causing them to burn up in a whirlwind of fire like the rest of the demon forces had. She turned and regrouped with the others who now faced up against Kronos.

Kronos smirked. "All that time within the cursed realm, I've planned many a way to destroy each of you. Now that I have my former enemy's weapon in my hand, it will finish the job I started."

Aaron levelled his blade at Kronos. "Just try it Titan. We've defeated every other Titan like you before, you won't be any different."

The Titan laughed at the Templar ranger's words. "I am no mere Titan." He responded before marching forward with the hammer in hand and slamming it into Aaron, causing a shockwave and sending him flying back about twenty feet and forcing him to the ground.

Before the other rangers could react, Kronos was upon them, slamming the hammer into Emlie and Lexa, sending them flying back like last time. Percy and Ben both braced for impact, holding their blades up to block, but their weapons and guards were nothing compared to the sheer driving force behind the weapon.

As the Titan stomped over to the yellow ranger, Emlie had somewhat recovered and had once again called upon Brionac which shot to life with a blinding light. "Hey Kronos, bet you can't take on a weapon like this!" She challenged, lunging forward as the light intensified. "Divine Luminous Pierce!" She exclaimed as she struck at Kronos.

However, the light of the weapon died down as the white ranger saw that Kronos had grabbed ahold of the spear's shaft. She struggled but managed to pull it free as the hammer came around to strike her. Emlie managed to use her spear to block the blow but the impact of the two legendary weapons colliding sent a shockwave out in all directions, taking both Emlie and Kronos off their feet and making them fly back a large distance away from each other.

"Stupid girl, you'll pay for that." Kronos hissed as he got back up. He jumped forward slightly as he felt a blade run across his armoured back, while it caused no physical damage, the drude swing did make it somewhat painful.

The Titan turned to see Tyson stood there, his blade pointed at his foe's throat. Kronos walked forward, knocking the yellow ranger's weapon to the side before grabbing the ranger by the throat and picking him up by his neck whilst simultaneously strangling him slowly.

"Out of all of you that I've fought, you have been the most annoying. You sent me to that place. I almost lost my mind in there. I ended up losing my will to fight too, but the prospect of revenge meant everything to me, and now I get to exact that vengeance." Kronos smirked malevolently as he brought the hammer up to strike and destroy the yellow ranger.

Kronos was ready to swing, but something in the hammer changed. For whatever reason, the weapon became superheated, glowing red, then orange, then bright yellow and finally pure white. Kronos yelled out in pain as the heat began to sear his hand and forced him to let go.

Instead of it falling to the ground, the hammer hovered in the air as it began to cool and return to normal. When it did, its rusted appearance was gone and the weapon looked completely new, it shone with a chromatic texture and because the rust was now gone, the norse carvings in the weapon were now clearly visible. Kronos dropped the yellow ranger and stared at the weapon that floated before him.

"The weapon unlocked. So it seeks a new wielder, I better not let that happen." Kronos said to himself before turning to see that Tyson had retrieved his blade and was about to strike the Titan.

Kronos managed to stop it but suffered from a powerful punch from his foe that knocked him back. Kronos recoiled from the hit and took a moment, observing the ranger.

"It seems your strength has increased, the powers of Asgard still flow through you, even if they are different this time around. But you'll never defeat me. I am the great Titan Kronos, no mere mortal such as you could take me down!" He proclaimed as Tyson slashed at him, not managing to get through his armour.

"I have to beat you though, if I don't everything's in danger. I can't lose to you now, I couldn't finish the job back then because I didn't think I was strong enough. But I've changed since then, every day I've gotten stronger and stronger. This time I won't lock you away and make you a problem for someone else. Even if I'm not strong enough, I'll keep going till then end!" Tyson declared, catching the attention of the floating hammer.

Swiftly, the weapon flew into Tyson's free hand much to both Tyson and Kronos' surprise. "The weapon chose you? How? You're just a weak mortal!"

"You said it yourself. I'm stronger than before, and the power of Asgard flows through me." He said,raising the hammer to the sky as a rumble of thunder was heard.

"You dare to fight me with Mjolnir, you aren't like your predecessors, you're only human!" Kronos roared at Tyson.

"That's right. I'm human, and that's why I'm gonna win." Tyson responded before bringing the hammer down and causing the ground to quake as an immense bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, incinerating the leaves that shrouded the area from the sky and coming down on Kronos in an explosive surge of electricity.

When it died down, Kronos surged with energy as he collapsed to his knees. "Don't think you've won yet, yellow ranger." The Titan coughed as he exploded.

Tyson twirled the hammer around before looking at it. "Thanks." he told Mjolnir in the brief moment of peace before the next big battle.

With an immense rumble, Kronos burst back to life, now in his true Titan form, once again a giant of a monster. Kronos was stripped of the demonic armour and his skin was like dark volcanic rock, with magma flowing through his veins, creating a glowing effect with his body. His eyes glew with the molten rock as he let out a bloodthirsty roar.

Tyson looked over to see that his comrades had been knocked out of their ranger forms and were sprawled all over the area. "Looks like I'm on my own here." He sighed before taking his amulet in his hand and raising it to the sky. "Mythic Guardian, Awaken!" He called as thunderclouds rolled in and enshrouded the area with grey skies before the yellow eagle swooped down.

Tyson leapt into the zord and, after he did so, Mjolnir began to surge with electricity and caused the systems of Tyson's zord to spark and cause the eagle zord to spiral out of control, crashing into the ground and forcing the components of the zord apart.

Kronos laughed at seeing the yellow ranger potentially defeated. "What a puny mortal you are, you couldn't even control your own zord. Maybe I should destroy this wretched world of your instead of troubling myself with ending you."

Yet the Titan spoke too soon, large chains of lightning shot out out from the main body of the ruined zord and hit the rest of the wreckage of the zord before all the components were lifted into the air and began shifting to create something completely new.

As the last parts shifted into place, the new zord was completed. It was a mechanical behemoth of a rhino, yellow and silver in colour. Kronos turned as he heard the feet of the newly constructed zord stomp on the ground.

"It was the power of Mjolnir that made your zord stronger and new then. But I will destroy you ranger, there's nothing you can do to stop me now!" Kronos exclaimed, overconfident in the power of his titan form.

"Okay Mjolnir. If you really are sentient like we were told, I need your help right now. We need to stop this titan before he does any more harm. Lend me and my zord your power, let's end the Titans once and for all." He requested , looking at the legendary hammer.

After a moment, a powerful bolt of lightning struck the rhino zord, empowering it with an extreme amount of electrical energy and causing it to give off a glowing aura of electricity.

"Alright, lets finish Kronos together then!" Tyson enthused, taking the controls and commanding the rhino to dart toward Kronos with destructive speed. "Volt Charge!" Tyson called out as the rhino zord impacted with Kronos who began to surge with energy once more as the extra charge left the rhino zord.

"My vengeance will transcend death yellow ranger, mark my words!" Kronos called out in his last words before exploding.

"Myth Busted." Tyson confirmed as the rhino zord let out a triumphant cry.

 **[Command Center]**

After some rest, the rangers had gathered in the command center where Doctor Blake and Jamie stood in the control room with the six rangers. They were currently sat around the briefing table that had the weapons they had currently collected.

Their mentor spoke up. "So far we've collected four weapons. Thyrsus, Brionac, Parashu and Mjolnir. There are three more to collect, we're close to getting the locations, but until then we have to be on guard to protect the weapons. Abaddon wants these for some reason. I'm close to discovering why, but right now we're a big target for Abaddon. But about Mjolnir, you said the way it acted was different." He said, turning to face Tyson.

"Yeah, it awakened by itself and chose me to wield it, and when I asked for its power to defeat Kronos and end the Titans once and for all, it did. There's no doubt that unlike the other weapons that it's sentient, and only chooses when we can use its power." Tyson explained.

"Then we better hope that it decides to help us in future fights too." Aaron added to the discussion.

 **[Blackspire]**

Fleruty approached Abaddon's throne where the demon prince currently resided and bowed. "My lord, Kronos has fallen and the Titans are no more. He failed to bring back Mjolnir. How much longer will we let these children keep the weapons, if you would just let me invade as I have planned. The rangers won't be able to do a thing."

Abaddon looked at his general. "It is easier to allow the rangers to retrieve the weapons and keep them in one place for later retrieval. But now they have four weapons, I believe that it is time to take them, but leave that matter to me. I have found the perfect servant for the job, one that can easily remove the rangers from play. And even if they survive and we have the weapons, they'll be desperate and rush after the last weapons, easy prey. Soon enough my plan shall come to fruition." Abaddon informed Fleruty as a malevolent smirk came across his face.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 34 over and done with. The last Titan has finally been defeated and the rangers add a powerful new weapon to their arsenal as well as Tyson stepping up to finish off a foe he fought at the beginning of this story as well as getting the upgraded version of his zord. Now only two weapons remain, but before then, Abaddon has a new plan to retrieve the weapons he has lost to the rangers in the previous chapters.**

 **For people that may have not seen, I have released a prologue to a new series I'm beginning when I get one of my stories out of the way, which I'll be doing lots of updates to in the coming days and weeks, so we're going off schedule somewhat again. Check it out though if you haven't already, it has a similar theme to Mythos and if you're a fan of this you'll be a fan of Occult Circle. Now that we got the shameless self promotion out of the way, here is the synopsis for the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Day of the Dryad: Part 1**

 **Synopsis: Another foe is unleashed on Castelan specifically chosen to defeat the rangers, but with more than themselves in danger, this will be their hardest fight ever, one that they won't be able to do without the help of another. Next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	36. Chapter 35: Day of the Dryad: Part 1

Ch35: Day of the Dryad: Part 1

The sun shone brightly in the sky as birds chirped on the midsummer morning in the town of Castelan. It was a great summer's day and the youth of the town were beginning to rise and enjoy yet another day of the summer.

In the Du Lac house, Artemis Domino was sitting in her room and brushing her hair, getting ready to go out for the day with her brother and their friends. The young teen was humming a tune to herself as she did so. As she hummed to herself, Aaron walked by and stood in the doorway, clearing his throat to get his sister's attention.

"Hey, the others are all ready and heading over to the house now, shouldn't be too long before we head out. You gonna be ready before then?" He asked as Artemis turned to face him.

The teen stopped humming and placed her hair brush down on her dresser. "I was just waiting for the rest of you to get ready, so where did you say we were all going?" Artemis asked as she stood up and headed to the doorway of her room and stopping just opposite her brother.

"Well it's just the usual for now. There's gonna be a carnival in two weeks though, so we'll all be at that if you wanna come with us, no need to rush on an answer though, for now let's just try and enjoy another lazy day."

Artemis gave a nod and the two headed down the stairs after hearing their doorbell ring and opening it to see the five other rangers stood at the door giving pleasant waves to the two siblings.

"We all ready to go?" Percy asked as the five of them shuffled out of the way to make room for the other two.

"We sure are, hopefully this day goes smoothly, don't want any of those things that attack the town ruining the day now, do we?" Aaron replied, trying to conceal his and the other's knowledge on the current threat due to present company.

"You mean Abaddon the demons wrecking the place again, I think I got my fill of it last time, hopefully we do get a break between-" Tyson responded before being cut off by the pink ranger who shoved her hands into the face of the yellow ranger to keep his mouth shut and make any further noise come out muffled.

"Tyson, remember who you're with when you talk about that kind of stuff." Lexa reminded him, he then nodded realising his mistake before Lexa released her hold over his mouth. She then wiped her hands on her shorts. "Tyson, if my hands smell like your breath after that, you're in real big trouble." She threatened before Aaron stepped up.

"Okay everyone, how about we completely ignore what just happened there and get going, clearly someone's been reading a little too much fiction lately." The ranger said, quickly changing the subject as the rangers began walking further into town.

Tyson was walking with a confused expression on his face as he walked beside Ben. "But I don't read…" Tyson said in protest, still confused as to why his teammate had made the excuse.

Ben turned his head to look at the yellow ranger as the group of seven walked down the street. "I know big guy, I know."

 **[Blackspire]**

Abaddon sat atop his throne in the center of the dark spire, the throne room was empty and desolate aside from one haunting figure stood at the foot of the throne.

The figure appeared to be an incorporeal one that was translucent. Its body appeared to be a dark ragged cloak over the wispy apparition that floated there. The sleeves of the cloak produced a set of chilling metal claws as the spirit floated there.

The demon prince rose from his throne and walked toward the ghostly figure as the brasiers of in the throne room extinguished and the blazing red eyes inside of the hood became visible.

"So you are the Wraith that has sworn themselves. Then you know what I want correct? The rangers that have threatened my plans for a while now. I want them gone." Abaddon explained to his newest servant, a heartless and corrupt Wraith taken from the cursed realm now serving Abaddon.

The figure spoke with an almost petrifying voice. "I am Blythe, at your command I will drain the life from your enemies, my lord." Blythe introduced, bowing to the demon prince.

Abaddon gave a malevolent smirk while observing the spectral being before him. "My plans rest heavily upon this, succeed in wiping out my enemies and I will reward you, Blythe." He informed the Wraith, who gave one final nod before turning with and flying forward towards the door, phasing completely through it.

 **[Castelan Town Center]**

It was midday in Castelan as the rangers and Artemis headed through the town, they were all getting hungry as lunchtime came and a few of their stomachs were grumbling.

"Man I'm starving! When are we gonna get something to eat?" Tyson groaned as his stomach gave a loud growl.

Lexa nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if we don't, get some food soon, I'm making someone pay."

"Now now, don't do anything rash Lexa." Aaron calmly protested as they looked around for somewhere to eat.

Artemis jumped into the conversation as she spotted a nice looking restaurant that she wanted to eat at. "Hey! Can we go there? It opened a few weeks ago and I've been dying to go ever since!" She enthused.

Aaron smiled as he stood beside her. "Well it seems really over the top and unnecessary for a diner by the looks of it, but in terms of how big Lexa and Tyson's stomachs are, and believe me they're big I pretty much starved on a camping trip with them one time, I think over the top and unnecessary is just fine. The rest of you fine with this?" The ranger asked to which they gave thumbs up.

As the seven of them walked down the street toward the restaurant, the sign being obscured from view by a tree for the time being, Emlie heard something and stopped to see if it was just a one off or if something was really going off. The others turned around when they noticed that the white ranger had stopped and looked at her with concerned expressions, except from Artemis, who had no clue what was currently going on.

"I thought I heard." The white ranger said before spinning around as her theory was quickly proven as the cries of civilians came from around the corner as the terrified citizens fled the area.

Also coming from around the corner was a squadron of Thralls, which were one of the causes of the terrified and fleeing civilians. The other cause followed shortly, revealing itself to be the spine chilling Wraith Blythe that caused the rangers to tense up on sight of the immaterial figure which quickly spotted them and pointed at the rangers with its icy clawed hands, ordering the Thralls to advance as the Wraith floated closer to them.

A lump formed in Artemis' throat. "Did… Did that thing just point at us!?" She asked, the look of terror now forming in the young teen's eyes.

"Artemis, get out of here, now." Aaron ordered his sister, keeping his eyes on this new incorporeal foe they now faced.

"I can't just leave you here!" The younger teen objected, standing firm.

Percy interjected before his leader could say anything. "Aaron, there's no use, the longer we wait, the bigger chance we have to lose, and besides, you knew this couldn't be kept from her forever. There's no other choice."

Aaron paused for a few seconds. "Okay… Missy, just keep safe for now, I promise I'll explain everything to you later." He told his sister, who then ran to the side, behind a set of concrete steps. "But right now, it's morphing time." He concluded as he stepped into line along with the other rangers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" The six rangers called out, morphing and drawing their blades as Blythe and the Thrall footsoldiers approached.

Artemis' eyes widened in surprise. "They're the power rangers!?" She asked in a mix of surprise and wonder at this new revelation about her brother and friends.

Stood side by side, the rangers began their roll call, Percy taking point.

"Element of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called.

"Element of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Tyson yelled out to the sky.

"Element of Babylon! Mythos Pink!" Lexa said, posing quickly.

"Element of Astral! Mythos Black!" Ben declared, giving his blade a twirl around in his hand.

"Element of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie exclaimed, tapping her shoulder with her blade.

"Element of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron finished, levelling his blade and pointing it at the Thralls and Wraith before them.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" The six of them called, slashing the air with their blades as they did so.

Aaron quickly took charge of the situation, seeing that Blythe was a ghost of some form and knowing that their usual weapons wouldn't do any harm. "Okay, Lexa and Percy with me. We'll take on the Thralls. Emlie, Ben and Tyson. You use your legendary weapons against that thing, I don't think our usual blades are gonna work against this thing." The six nodded and followed of the orders of their leader without question.

Aaron ignited his blade with elemental fire, while Lexa created a miniature tornado around the blade of her weapon. Percy also did a similar thing, creating a field of water around his.

Lexa cut through the enemies first, slashing them and causing them to get trapped inside a multitude of tornadoes that calmed quickly before planting the dizzied Thralls on the ground. This was when Aaron and Percy performed simultaneous attacks, zig-zagging through the thralls and slashing them with their elementally charged blades. When the two had cut through the ranks, all of the Thralls had suffered serious damage and exploded into whirlwinds of fire.

Meanwhile, the other three rangers had summoned their elemental weapons, Brionac, Parashu and Mjolnir, from their amulets and were currently combating Blythe as best they could.

Emlie lunged in with her spear, which the Wraith easily dodged. On her second attempt at fighting Blythe, the white ranger tried landing a roundhouse kick on the ghostly apparition, only for her leg to phase straight through the being and make her fall to the ground.

Ben was next to take charge and fight the Wraith. "If that doesn't work on you, how about a taste of the demon slaying axe." The black ranger said, gaining the attention of the wraith as he swung the huge and brutish axe around to try and connect with the being, yet it phased through too.

Blythe gave a malevolent chuckle. "Pitiful humans, your weapons are no match for a force for death. I don't understand why you are even a challenge, by I will drain each and everyone of you of your life force this day!" The Wraith declared, raising its hands and knocking Tyson and Ben to the ground.

Lexa and Percy ran in concerned, but were also knocked to the ground by the invisible force. Five of the six rangers were on the ground as a shadowy aura began to grow from the Wraith. Aaron charged in with his longsword ignited with a stream of fire. He slashed at Blythe and surprisingly, the weapon managed to hit and temporarily stun the being.

"You foolish child!" Blythe roared as he shot a bolt of dark energy at Aaron that sent him back about twenty feet into a street lamp and forced him to demorph. "When I learn how you did that I'll drain you too, but for now." He finished as he raised his hands toward the other five rangers and began drawing energy from them that manifested in a stream of white light, being drained from them.

The five rangers were in distress as the energy was drained from them and forced them out of their ranger forms as their skin began to go pale.

From where Artemis was, she saw everything and was horrified at what she saw, the five rangers were being drained of their life force and her brother was just slammed into a street lamp by the Wraith. Sh was scared, but she had to do something to try and stop Blythe. Then she noticed a throwable stone on the ground.

"Hey creep!" She called out as the stone was flung and connected with the Wraith's head and caused him to recoil and break his concentration, ceasing the draining process of the rangers.

Blythe became outraged. The Wraith flew quickly in front of Artemis. "You stupid girl, how dare you strike me, you will pay for that with you life!" It screamed, picking her up with one of its chilling clawed hands and lifting her up off of the ground, attempting to drain her life force too.

It worked for a few moments, the young teenager struggling to breathe, but then the hand of the ghostly being began to hiss as smoke came from it. The Wraith's hand began to burn holding onto Artemis' throat. Blythe jerked his hand back in pain and retreated. "Not possible, a child with strength over life. I was unprepared for this, but when we meet next, I will be prepared." Blythe warned before phasing through a building and disappearing.

Aaron rose from where he had been thrown and ran over to his friends, checking on Emlie first and his face becoming distressed when there was no response. "No… come on… wake up…" He said quietly as Artemis came over.

"Will, they be okay?" The young teen asked, to which her brother turned his head, his face still showing a look of distress. "Can we help them?" She asked, to which Aaron shrugged in uncertainty.

"I-I just need a moment… There-There's someone I need to call, someone who can help." Aaron explained to Artemis as he tried to keep himself together.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron and Artemis, with the help of Doctor Blake and Jamie had managed to take the unconscious and drained teens to safety and had placed them in the medical bay of the command center. While the mentor and technician were working as hard as they could to heal the rangers, Aaron and his sister were sat down at the small conference table, the former looking depressed as of recent events.

"So, when did you become a power ranger?" Artemis asked, getting the ranger's attention.

"It wasn't long after I came here, we were fighting this other villain, Shadai, at the time. He possessed Dad and we fought hard but it was thanks to a sorceress that he was freed from Shadai and the villain was sealed away again. That was about the time I learned of you too, but it's important you know about what happened to you in all that missing time." Aaron explained.

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked as she stared blankly at her brother.

"The sorceress that saved him was one that we fought briefly before she did so. She was the powerful Morgana Le Fay. But she didn't have a body for a while before, when she encountered us though she did. She took over someone's body, your body." He continued, causing Artemis' face to go wide in shock.

"I-I was possessed!?" She shouted out in surprise and shock.

"She could only take over the body of a descendant of hers. I guess on your mum's side, you're descended from Morgana. We managed to save you with the help of an unconventional ally. I wanted to keep all of this away from you, but I knew I couldn't for long, so here we are." Aaron finished recounting the events, leaving Artemis in shock and somewhat disbelief.

"All this time I thought everything was normal and fine, then this happens and everything I thought I knew is gone and I'm left with this. You could've just told me the truth. Why'd you keep it from me?" She asked, growing slightly agitated.

Before Aaron could answer, the alarm sounded and the Templar ranger shot up. "Looks like he's back, and this time, I'm gonna make him pay for hurting my friends." He said before rushing out without a word to his sister.

Doctor Blake approached the young teen still sat in the chair, he appeared to be in deep thought before looking at the girl and speaking up. "Artemis, I have something for you, something that only you can have, and if you want to help, I suggest you take it."

 **[Castelan Town Center]**

Blythe had returned as civilians fled from the life draining Wraith. Aaron ran up, morphing quickly as he did and drawing his sword as he charged forward at the wraith, his head now filled with anger.

"Back for more ranger? Well this time you'll end up just like your pitiful friends!" The incorporeal being declared as he slammed Aaron back with a powerful force, once again causing the ranger to fly back and slam into a concrete support this time, causing the ranger to demorph.

Blythe floated closer to the ranger and was ready to drain the very life from him when a stone hit the head of the Wraith, who turned in frustration to see who it was. It was Artemis. Blythe roared in frustration as an aura of darkness surrounded him and he began to build up a large ball of dark energy.

"This time, I won't let you get in the way, child of life!" Blythe screamed as he shot the bolt of dark energy at Artemis, whose eyes widened as the bolt came ever closer.

As it came closer, connecting with the girl, a bright flash of white light came over the area, blinding everything in sight, as the light persisted, the only sound that could be heard was Aaron crying out in concern for his sister. "ARTEMIS!"

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 35. What a way to end it too, that cliffhanger there went really well in my opinion and now there's a real sense of danger looming with this, five rangers down, one ranger currently out of the fight and Artemis' fate currently unknown, what's gonna happen next? Even though I already know I'm really excited for writing up the next chapter.**

 **I might be taking a quick break since I've been having a couple of sleepless nights which isn't really good for my brain, though I can power through it if need be. So I'll see you all again in whatever I write next, and hopefully by then I can sleep normally again. Anyway, I'll see you all again next time, and have a good day.**

 **Next Chapter: Day of the Dryad: Part 2**

 **Synopsis: With five rangers out and another currently trying to fight Blythe, without much success, could Abaddon finally have a victory over the rangers? Or will another factor play in? One far more powerful than anyone could possibly imagine. Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	37. Chapter 36: Day of the Dryad: Part 2

Ch36: Day of the Dryad: Part 2

"ARTEMIS!" The words echoed for what seemed like forever as Aaron cried out in fear for his sister and the events that had just transpired. Everything was blinded by a flash of bright light for a few seconds that seemed to linger so very long at the fear and uncertainty of what these final few moments had brought.

Yet inevitably, the light began to die down, the area returning to normal and the villain and two siblings could see once more. Both Aaron and Blythe's eyes went wide in a mix of surprise and shock as they laid their eyes on the form of Artemis.

The form of the young woman that once stood there before the dark magic struck her was now gone, in her place was a figure all too familiar to Aaron. One that marked the beginning of something new.

Now over Artemis was a very familiar looking suit. It had a green vestlike torso with a sort of white undershirt to it with long sleeves going down along her arms until meeting a set of green gloves with the golden twine branch themed banding around them. Adorned atop the shoulders were a pair of short and thin rounded golden pauldrons. Her legs were covered completely in green with a simple golden belt around her waist also with a twine theme to it and a circular buckle with a leaf patterned upon it. Hanging from the belt was a white tailcoat with a golden trimming around the edge. Dividing her legs from her green boots was more banding with the thin branch twine theming to it. Her helmet was primarily green yet also had a golden trim around the visor, which was in the shape of a leaf. A small silver mouthpiece was imprinted upon it with a thin golden outline. There was no doubt about it, Artemis had donned the form of the Dryad ranger.

In her hand now rested Thyrsus, the legendary staff of nature, that seemed to give off a faint green glow, which also appeared to resonate in the hands of the ranger. From under the helmet, artemis slowly opened her eyes to see the form that she had taken, looking up and down to see if what she saw was real.

Blythe snarled at the latest ranger as he readied another attack of deathly magic. "You have tricked me again, little witch, to not know such power resided in you. I will destroy you for this insult." The Wraith declared in its chilling voice.

"Witch? What the hell are you talking about?" Artemis asked, confused as to her opponent's choice of words, yet the ghastly being didn't reply and instead shot out his deathly bolt of corrupt energy at Artemis who shut her eyes tightly as it came barrelling toward her, clutching her staff tightly to her chest in fear.

Before it hit, a barrier of green light materialised in front of the ranger and when the bolt made contact with the barrier, the manifestation of death fizzled out, as if the force that had protected the young teen were far stronger than the power Blythe held.

The Wraith's glowing red eyes expanded to show surprise at how easily his attack had been stopped by whatever power had saved Artemis. "Not possible! A simple ward should be no match for my power, how could you possibly stop that completely?"

From where Aaron was, he had witnessed this new power now flowing through his sister, the ranger knew that Artemis didn't understand what was going on with her, but it was down to her to finish Blythe off. "Artemis, you have to fight back against him, you're the only one who can do it, you've just got to believe in that new power, believe in yourself that you can do it, use that staff to send him back to where he came from!" He called out, getting Artemis to look his way for a second. "Everyone's counting on you." Aaron finished, getting the Dryad ranger to stop and think for a moment.

Blythe had not only hurt her brother's friends, but had also hurt her friends, since she met them they'd only been supportive of her and she'd be damned if she let them down now. "I'm not letting you win Blythe, you hurt my friends and my family, and I won't let you win. So just disappear!" She yelled, pointing Thyrsus out at Blythe as a strong green aura surrounded her and the staff as green glowing particles amassed at the end of the legendary weapon.

The energy clustered together, building up a powerful attack that shot out and collided with the Wraith, causing a huge explosion and a flash of blinding light. When it subsided, the wraith surged with energy before exploding into a mass of darkness that quickly dissipated.

Aaron ran over to Artemis with a smile on his face. "You did it!" He exclaimed cheerfully as he gave his sister a congratulatory hug.

 **[Command Center]**

Within the Command Center, Jamie and Doctor Blake were both watching the debut fight of the Dryad ranger and as they viewed her defeating Blythe, the mentor looked over at the five downed rangers to see that they were now recovering, their complexions returning to normal from the pale they had been and their eyes slowly opening as they sat up on the beds.

Doctor Blake walked quickly into the medical bay to take a look at the rangers. "It's alright rangers, the monster's been dealt with, you can all take it slow.

"Oh god, I feel like someone took a jackhammer to my skull." Lexa groaned, holding her hand to her head.

Emlie looked at the mentor with a concerned expression, even though fatigued, she was still worried. "Is Aaron okay?" She asked, trying to hold back the worry in her voice.

Doctor Blake gave a firm nod. "Yes, but it's not him you want to thank for saving you all today." He was about to say something more, however he was cut off by Jamie calling from over in his seat in front of the large monitor in the control room.

"Hey, I think you should all get in here, something's happening!" The young man called to which Doctor Blake and the five rangers obliged.

 **[Castelan Town Center]**

While Artemis and Aaron stood there celebrating, they hadn't noticed the mass buildup of dark energy in the sky and with a thunderous sound, it materialised into a supersized version of Blythe, who roared in frustration.

"You may have beaten me once, little witch, but my powers are stronger than ever now! You will not beat me again!" The Wraith declared with a thunderous voice.

Artemis turned to Aaron, who know wore a stern expression. "What do we do now?"

"I'll handle him this time." He told her before producing the Templar morpher. "Templar Power, Activate!" He called, morphing quickly into the Templar Ranger.

From here, he raised his blade to the sky, calling forth the Lionheart Megazord. Drawing his blade inside the stone castle themed cockpit, the megazord followed his movements and went into battle against the ghastly Wraith.

The Lionheart Megazord charged forward,holding its blade sideways to perform a power attack on Blythe. Bringing the sword around, the Megazord's blade struck Blythe, yet unfortunately the huge sword phased straight through the monstrous Wraith and clashed with the ground.

"Foolish mortal, your powers are no match for me, I have since learned from my mistakes facing you and now I'll make it my goal to destroy you and your titan of war." Blythe declared as he tore at the Megazord chassis with his icy claws, sparks flying with each strike.

The Megazord dropped to one knee, propping itself up with its weapon as Blythe landed another hit. The Wraith almost had victory, and the Lionheart Megazord could take only a few more hits before it would succumb to the damage dealt to it.

On the ground, Artemis stood, she clutched the staff Thyrsus to her chest tightly as she worried for her brother. 'He's getting torn up out there, I can't let him get hurt like the others, but I don't know what I can do. I wish I could help.' Artemis thought to herself.

As she did, yet another unusual thing happened, a sphere of opaque green light grew around the young teen and began to ascend, as it got higher, the sphere of light expanded in size, but was still only a fraction of the size of the two giants when it had finished expanding. As it floated, it caught the attention of both Aaron in the Megazord and Blythe, who floated toward it in an attempt to destroy it.

Before he could however, the sphere of light burst open, sending out a small shockwave that staggered the Wraith for a moment. Now emerging from its protective sphere was a very familiar figure. Primarily green with a black undercoat and trimming, the green wings of mystical energy fluttering as the life giving particles drifted down from the beating wings. The Sylph zord had returned.

Within the cockpit of the zord, Artemis stood, the cockpit itself seemed to be similar to that of the Lionheart Megazord, yet it had a nature theme in the decoration. The walls seemed to be formed of leaves and tree roots were tangled together making a solid wooden floor. A raised stump with a hole in the middle was where Thyrsus was now slotted, Artemis held onto the weapon as her zord flew around the battlefield, spreading the life imbued particles over the Lionheart Megazord and revitalising it. Slowly the Megazord stood up once again to come face to face with Blythe as the Sylph zord landed on the shoulder of the large megazord.

Aaron gave a relieved sigh. "Thanks for the assist, but how did you know to call on the Sylph zord?" He asked taking in a moment to rest.

"I wanted to help and something happened with the staff and I ended up here." She explained as best she could, not knowing herself exactly what happened.

"Okay, for now, we should combine and take this guy out, then we can get to the bottom of all this." Aaron said as the gears inside his Megazord began turning.

"Combine?" Artemis asked, but wouldn't get an answer before the Sylph zord shot up into the air and separating into multiple parts as the Lionheart Megazord began to reconfigure too. It was not long after that both rangers were now in the expanded cockpit, Artemis now stood on the side of the cockpit with the green banner with the tree upon it and her weapon was now slotted into the second weapon pedestal.

Once more, the Megazord had taken on its combined appearance. Two sword hilts without blades rested in each had and the shoulders had thin green armour plating as opposed to the usually thick plated shoulder pauldrons. The Megazord now had the metallic cowl upon its head, shadowing its eyes and hiding the more knightly head it used. Finally the lion head in the chest of the Megazord had split vertically and opened up to allow the main body of the Sylph zord in and the chest now had the golden emblem of a tree in its center.

The Megazord pointed both blade hilts at Blythe and they ignited, the right hand blade was made of fiery red energy while the left hand blade consisted of sparkling green energy, now that both rangers had formed the megazord its full power was unlocked.

"Nature's Warden Megazord! Read!" Aaron called out as Blythe became frustrated with the two rangers and the tricks they had pulled.

Blythe charged forward, clawing at the Megazord as best he could, yet on his chilling claws making contact with the green and red energy blades, his hands burned and the Wraith pulled them back in agony.

"Looks like your luck's run out!" Artemis declared as both energy blades of the Warden Megazord began to charge up with an intense amount of power.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's take this guy down together!" Aaron exclaimed as the Warden Megazord charged forward and bore both of its blades down on Blythe at the same time. "Flaming Justice!" Aaron called out as the red blade cut straight through Blythe.

"Nature's Wrath!" Artemis called out as the green energy blade also struck the Wraith and the Megazord jumped back as the spectral being began to surge with energy.

"You are a lucky one, little witch!" Blythe called out in his last words before exploding into more deathly smoke that departed quickly.

"Myth Busted!" Aaron confirmed as the Warden Megazord lowered its weapons and the two rangers cheered at this new triumph.

 **[Blackspire]**

Abaddon paced around his throne room, the anger on his face growing with each moment. "These creatures are failures, first the strongest of the Titans fails and then a soul sucking wraith also succumbs to defeat by these mortal creatures. Despicable." The demon prince growled as he paced around his throne.

Fleruty soon entered and faced his master, kneeling at his feet. "My lord, your spy crow has returned with more news, we now know the location of the next weapon and believe that it can take care of the rangers once and for all, should we leave them to their task or pursue them?"

"Leave them to it, allow them to retrieve the rest of the weapons if need be, my power is growing now and I can feel it, soon enough I will need not of these useless servants, then those that defy me shall have reckoning." Abaddon informed the demon general with a dark smile.

 **[Command Center]**

Aaron and Artemis returned to the command center quickly and were relieved to see that all five rangers were fine and had fully recovered from the effects of Blythe's life stealing ability. The five other rangers rushed over to Artemis to thank her for what she had done and congratulate her on a successful first battle.

Aaron stood back to let his sister take the glory for today since she had earned it, as he did, Doctor blake walked up behind him. "She did pretty well for her first fight don't you think?" The mentor asked the ranger who gave a firm nod.

"Yeah, but now she knows everything, I can't really protect her from all of this anymore."

Doctor Blake gave a smirk. "By the looks of the fight, I'd say she doesn't need any protection any more, well not when it comes to monster fighting at least."

Aaron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's pretty strong, but I can't help but wonder where all that power came from, wa that with her all this time, or was it just the power of Thyrsus?"

"I'd like to believe the latter, but that just wouldn't be possible, hopefully she can learn to control whatever that power is given time. Enough about this though, go celebrate with the others, after what you've been through, you all need it."

Aaron headed over and joined the rest of his team. "So, Missy, now you've heard everything, and fought a monster as a power ranger, I just want to say I'm sorry for keeping all this from you, I just thought I was protecting you, but now I see you don't need any."

Artemis looked her brother, her facial expression turned to a disappointed one and her voice contained a slight tone of sadness. "It doesn't change the fact you lied to me, that all of you did. It's gonna take me some time to forgive you for that, but that doesn't mean I'll not fight with you all. It just means I need some time to myself till I can get past this." She told them all before turning and walking away from the group.

Aaron just stood there and watched his sister walk away, it was hard on him to see his sister leave because of something he and the others had done, while the five other rangers looked with remorse knowing they could've done better, Aaron just watched without blinking knowing that it was all his fault.

 **[Artemis' room]**

It was now morning, the very next day after the fight with Blythe and her leaving the others while she came to terms with everything. The young teen got up out of her bed, rubbing her eyes which had been blurry up until now. When she looked around, her eyes widened in shock. Overnight, somehow, her room seemed to have overgrown with vines, layering the entire room and covering everything, even the door.

The girl got up and walked slowly across the vine enclosed floor before tripping over an outcrop of vines. Artemis sat back against the vines in front of her door and brought her legs in close.

Not long after she heard a knock on her door, followed by Aaron's voice. "Hey, Missy is everything alright? I heard a bang and wanted to check up on you, is everything okay? It's fine if you don't want to talk to me." He asked and was met with silence as Artemis sat huddled in front of the door, mesmerised by what was happening.

She looked at her hand and was shocked to see that from a green circle of energy upon her hand, another vine grew out and encircled more of the room before her hand returned to normal. She was now shaking in fear. 'What's happening to me?" She asked herself, unknown to her of what this event truly meant…

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 36, and an enjoyable chapter to write it was, The Dryad ranger returns, this time fighting alongside the other rangers and Artemis has become part of the main cast of the series, but it seems she is already beginning to have problems, the cause of it however is something to be revealed later. This also showed off the Warden Megazord at its full power and was intended for both rangers when I had written it up, Artemis was also intended to become a ranger when I initially thought up the plot for Act 2 a while ago.**

 **I recently got a new computer because my old one, well it's starting to show its age and it isn't performing as well I was gonna write one last chapter on that for old times sake, but time didn't really allow that, so this is the first chapter on a new computer, which fortunately can handle all the tabs I have to have open when writing out new chapters, so things are gonna be a lot smoother, Thanks for reading and until the next time everyone.**

 **Next Chapter: Labyrinthian**

 **Synopsis: The rangers are surprised to discover the whereabouts of the next of the legendary weapons, directly under Castelan. It seems before the town's founding a great labyrinth was built by someone to either guard the weapon, or the scarier possibility, to keep something in. When two rangers get separated from the rest, they must survive the twisting maze and whatever lurks within and retrieve the next weapon. Artemis' condition worsens, but can the timely arrival of someone familiar to the rangers make sense of what is happening? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	38. Chapter 37: Witch Training 101

Ch37: Witch Training 101

The rangers, aside from Artemis and Emlie, had all convened at the house for a relaxing day in away from the sun. There were now only a few days until the Carnival was in town and everyone in Castelan was preparing for it. The rangers were excited to get some downtime after what had happened the previous week with the wraith Blythe.

Lexa walked over to the kitchen sink and turned the tap, yet nothing came out as she tried. "Hey Aaron, your kitchen's on the fritz!" The pink ranger called over to Aaron who was currently locked in an arm wrestle with Tyson over who should get the last cookie in the jar.

Ben looked over to see the pink ranger waiting for an answer and knew it was best not to keep her waiting. "I heard there's a burst water main somewhere in town and now half of us don't have water, guess here's one of the places that got affected." The black ranger informed her.

Lexa came strolling over, to where Aaron and Tyson were still at it, and were in a deadlock, neither was winning at the moment. As they concentrated hard on winning that cookie, a cheeky smile came across Lexa's face as she quickly swiped the cookie from where it was and chomped down on it.

Aaron heard the sound of her biting down on the cookie and looked with his eyes wide to see that she was eating it, as his concentration broke, Tyson slammed his teammate's hand onto the table they had been wrestling on and raised his arms up in triumph.

"Yay, I win! Now where's my cookie?" Tyson cheered to look at both of his friends and see Lexa finishing off the cookie. His cheerful expression dropped. "You can be so mean sometimes." Tyson said in a strop as the pink ranger let out a small burp after finishing the cookie.

"What? I was hungry." Lexa told him with a smirk.

"But I was too!" Tyson groaned as Lexa, Ben and Aaron began laughing about it.

"I know bud, I was too, but you have to remember. Lexa's a food thief, if you take your eyes off food she can reach, its gone before you can blink." Aaron added sympathetically.

Percy was sat on the couch, reading another book. As the others messed around some more, he looked up from what he was reading. He'd not looked up or joined the conversation since arriving and that was when both Artemis and Emlie were still present at the house.

"Hey, when did Emlie and Artemis leave?" He asked, his interest in books made the outside world practically non-existent when he read them.

"The Doc called Missy up about half an hour ago, said it was something urgent that just involved her, Emlie should be back any minute now, she offered to show her the way till she gets familiar with it." Aaron explained to the blue ranger who gave a nod and went back to his book.

 **[Command Center]**

Artemis entered the command center alone, while Emlie headed back to the house where the others were. She found the place completely empty, however. Looking around, the young ranger headed to the control room to see if there was any sign of Doctor Blake or Jamie, surprisingly, the two of them were nowhere to be seen.

As she searched the now deserted command center, she came across an open wooden door that lead into the dark room that the sorcerer Merlin had spent his time in for the most part before his disappearance. There was an eerie feeling about the room as the teen entered and looked around.

"Is anyone here?" She asked as she walked further into the dark room and coming across the stone font in the center of the room.

Artemis was somewhat drawn to it as she swept her hand across the top of the stone font. As she did a mass of light emerged from the basing of water in the object and blinded everything from view. Artemis shielded her eyes, but as she did so, the light seemed to fade to tolerable levels and the Dryad ranger opened her eyes and found herself in shock and awe.

Whatever the light burst had done, Artemis was now in a completely different location to what she was once at. The young ranger's eyes widened taking in the scenery as she tried to get her bearings over what had just happened.

The environment she was now in seemed to be a large clearing in an untamed forest. A huge tree that must have been hundreds of year old rested in the center of the clearing. Around it was a small pond, the tree's biggest roots going over the water, making small bridges between the tree and the grass on the other side of the water.

Artemis walked toward the tree and got to the water's edge until she heard footsteps coming from behind her, turning quickly and becoming defensive, the young teen saw a man coming toward her.

This man had short white hair and a clean shaven face, despite this, there was not a wrinkle on his skin in sight and he only appeared to be in his twenties despite his pristine white hair. He gave a warm smile to Artemis as he came closer. The man also wore a white tunic made of afien material with black pants of similar material and design as well as a pair of shin high dark leather boots. The man also seemed to wear a black cape that hung almost off of his shoulders and appeared to have a strange scripture embroidered in white into the cape.

Artemis was still on edge about the whole thing, despite the vibe the man gave off. "Who are you, why'd you bring me here? Where is here even?" The young ranger fired off the questions quickly as he came closer, now stopping and examining her.

"Welcome Artemis Domino. This is the sanctuary, a place I go to get away from the human world. I am known as Conjuro, ironic given my practician. But the reason for bringing you here is most interesting indeed. By now you know that you are one descendant of Morgana. Contrary to popular belief, her blood runs through quite a few people in the world, but most don't know about it, some do have potential I must admit. But you, you're something differently entirely, Artemis." Conjuro smirked at the teen who was still on guard.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, not letting up as Conjuro began to explain more.

"We've known about the power rangers for a long while, due to them being connected to the magical world somewhat. There are remaining pockets of the magical realm all over that have seen your exploits, but when you became a ranger, a dormant power awakened in you like no other. We expect it to supersede your ancestor's power, which is why you're here. I'm supposed to train your power somewhat before you go back into the world."

"What power are you talking about?" Artemis asked, cautiously, however now she was curious as to what the man before her was explaining to her.

"I'm speaking of magic of course. Just the latent abilities that came to you when you were in danger were extraordinary, even among other wizards, witches, warlocks and the like. Magical practitioners if you will. I am a student professor at a special school that teaches magic, unfortunately your present situation requires a faster approach. I assume there have already been some mishaps with the magic you can't control yet?" He elaborated, indirectly calling the young ranger a witch.

"So that's why that Wraith called me a witch then, because I can use magic. But why'd you come and not some big shot if I'm this special?" She asked, looking at Conjuro who gave an amused look.

"It is because of one simple fact Artemis, our bloodlines have been intertwined for generations, granter most of yours have tried killing mine. You're actually the only Morgana Descendent that hasn't been hostile to a descendent of Merlin." Conjuro explained to her.

"You mean that Merlin's your ancestor and that everyone related to me except from my brother are magic using psychopaths?" She said, somewhat grasping the situation.

"More or less, but enough about that, I'm here to help you control magic and teach you how to use it and right now, you're only harnessing it when in combat. We'll start with the basics." The wizard finished before heading toward the tree and Conjuring a sleek wooden staff from thin air and producing a large tome from his cloak.

"So what are we gonna be doing, some kind of witch training 101?" The young ranger asked, causing Conjuro to give a small groan.

'She had to be such an airhead didn't she? At least she isn't trying to zap me with dark magic, and she does seem more tolerable than those first years back at the Lyceum.' The sorcerer thought to himself as he turned and handed her the large tome. Imprinted on it was the celtic symbol known as the spiral of life, which was used to depict life unsurprisingly.

"Due to the your abilities being based around life and having a nature theme to them, I chose a book that would benefit you greatly in controlling your powers. An old druidic grimoire of spells. It should cover how to control the ones you've already been using without knowing so that there aren't any more mishaps. It will help you greatly if you know each of these spells by heart too."

"Oh god this thing has so many pages, your students probably suffer having to read old dull pages like this all the time." Artemis complained as she flicked through the dulled pages that seemed to be rather hard to read due to the wear of the book.

'My god she may just be worse than those first years.' Conjuro grimaced in his head as he took the book back from Artemis. "Maybe we should work on your control of spells and how to tap into your mana. I'm sure you can learn on your own when you have the hang of it." 'I hope' The wizard finished in his thoughts before leading Artemis to the tree again and turning to face her so that the tree was between them in the background. "I'm going to fire off what for now is best described as a 'magic missile' rudimentary battle magic and you should have no problem stopping it with a ward, you ready?"

"One question, what's a ward?" The ranger asked, clueless as to the basic forms that magic could take, a question which also got a groan from the teacher.

"A barrier of magic. Now stop this before it hits you." He commanded, raising his hand and snapping his fingers, which prompted a small white and needle-like magical manifestation to spawn.

With one flick of his wrist, the quote on quote 'magic missile' shot forward quickly, darting at Artemis, who held out her hand and closed her eyes in fear as the magical projectile was about to hit her. The sound of an object ricocheting off of another was heard and Artemis opened her eyes to see that a green barrier had manifested from her hand and had shielded her from the hit.

"Hey, I did it!" Artemis cheered as the ward she had placed disappeared.

"It seems fear is a motivator for how you can tap into your magic, interesting. I have what I need to know now, I'm going to leave the grimoire with you for now. Learn from it and I'll come back to see your progress, maybe you'll impress me next time. But now I have to go advise an elven court before they start yet another fight with one of the demon houses of the underworld. Touchy stuff like this needs a master wizard you see."

Conjuro was about to leave when Artemis stopped the mage. "Wait, you said you were going to help me control my powers, stop them from getting out of hand. You're just gonna leave without keeping your word?"

The wizard thought about it for a moment, scratching his chin. "Ah, yes about that. A downside of being able to use magic is that it has its price, and that is that it is uncontrollable and gets out of hand all too often. We mages use special anchors to keep that to a minimum, but that is as much as we can do for you when you're as powerful as a master wizard even without training. Here, this bracelet is made of pure silver, enchanted as a suppressor for the excess magic. If that's all I really must part, the elven court is an impatient one and the demons don't take kindly to hostilities."

"Thanks for your help, Conjuro." Artemis told him with a smile as she slipped on the bracelet and felt a slight drain of her energy before reaching for the grimoire she had too been gifted.

"You are most welcome Artemis, I look forward to our next meeting." Conjuro replied, returning a smile, before departing in a burst of white magic.

As the young woman stood in the sanctuary alone, another flash of bright light shone over her eyes, blinding her momentarily.

 **[Command Center]**

Artemis opened her eyes again as the light subsided, she was now in the control room of the command center. Jamie and Doctor Blake were rushing around the consoles in the room, panicking as they did so.

Artemis watched the screens that were showing up as either pitch black, images of collapsed entrances to caves or maps of infrastructure tunnels that ran underneath Castelan.

The young ranger approached to scare Jamie and Doctor Blake, who were momentarily brought back to reality by the sudden appearance of the girl.

"Artemis, where the hell'd you come from?" Jamie asked, as he kept trying to work.

"It's a long story." She replied, slightly avoiding the question.

The older mentor looked at her, his expression a grim one. "We've been trying to reach you for hours without success and then you just showed up. But now's not the time, we have a problem."

'Hours? But I was only gone a few minutes.' Artemis thought to herself before directing her attention to the current issue at hand. "What's happened?"

"We sent the rangers to check out a possible monster that might have kidnapped a construction worker and maybe more, but when they got into a cave system, they got separated by a collapse, and now we can't reach them." Doctor Blake explained to Artemis, who stood there looking at the screens, a worried expression coming across her face.

"I have to try something to get them out of there!" She shouted out in a spur of emotions.

"We want them out too, but we don't know how yet, but when we've found a way, we'll tell you, just go home for now. There's nothing you can do."

Artemis was about to protest, but then gave a reluctant nod. "Okay." She complied, before shuffling out of the control room.

 **[Du Lac residence]**

Artemis sat in her room atop her bed, the grimoire was in front of her as she flicked through it until she found a spell she liked the sound of. As of this time, there had been no word from her mentor and Artemis thought that the best she could do now was to learn some magic in hopes of helping them.

"Okay, here's one." Artemis said as she read the scripture before her. 'Energy Bolt. A manifestation of one's elemental energy, the bolt fired out will have a varied effect based on the caster's elemental ability. It is unwise to use this spell indoors in case of collateral damage.' it read.

"Stupid druids, it isn't like I'm gonna fire it into a crowd of people or anything, unless they really get on my nerves anyway." Artemis joked as she formed her hands in the described way to cast the energy bolt, but when trying to cast it, the bolt fizzled out before it was fully charged. Artemis gave a sigh. "Well I supposed I could give it a few more tries before I call it quits for the night. What's the worst that could happen?" She asked herself as she began to try again.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 37. Now this is a bit different as it involves plt elements from the preview of the last chapter, but I am splitting that into a separate chapter that happens at the same time this one does. It was basically an introduction to magic with a few jokes thrown here and there, Labyrinthian is gonna be the next chapter as I planned last time and I'm sorta rushing to get this out now so I can go eat. But let me know what you think of this introduction to magic here and until the next chapter.**


	39. Chapter 38: Labyrinthian

Ch38: Labyrinthian

 **Just a reminder to avoid confusion that this chapter happens at roughly the same time as the previous one, but at a point it will follow on from where the last one left off.**

It was just another day in the quaint town of Castelan as the citizens went about their daily business. Unfortunately for anyone that had t drive a car to get to work, a water main had burst a day or two and due to the apparent laziness of the workers, they had only just opened up the area of the road that currently had the only access point to get to the damaged area, which was deeper in the ground than the majority of the water main and had to be reached by access tunnels.

A group of workers, wearing hard hats and held torches in their hands to see where they were going, were heading through the dull tunnel system until they reached the area where the water main had burst. The water had been turned off for repairs but the ground still had deep puddles. Shining the torch on the burst area, they saw that a whole section of the water main had been ripped off and flung to the other end of the damp concrete room they were currently in.

Furthermore, the men saw that off to the side, at one of the walls, it seemed as if someone, or something had smashed through a foot thick wall of concrete from the other side, one of the workers shone his torch into the whole to see that there was a whole unexplored cave system here.

"What do you think did this?" One of the workers asked, to which a few of the others shrugged.

"Hell if I wanna know." Another of the workers responded as one of the larger workers got closer to the huge hole and shone his torch on the broken concrete.

"Looks like this was broken from the other side." He told the others, before stepping into the cave system.

"So something wanted to get out? This place is starting to give me the creeps, a slim worker told them as they looked on further with curiosity.

"I don't know, maybe something was just doing a little house remodelling." The first worker suggested with a sarcastic expression.

"I'm gonna have a look." The butch worker already in the cave system told them before heading further in, as the other workers waited at the hole, scared at what might lurk down there.

The worker came up to a four way split in the cave system before spotting a creature crouched on the ground. "Hey there's something in here, almost looks like a bull. Wait a minute. No, no, no!" The man screamed painfully, his screams echoing throughout the cavernous system.

The other workers faces became a mix of both shock and and fear as they made a break for the exit, running as fast as they could. "I don't care what they say, no water main is worth this!" On of the workers said as they ran as fast as they could to get away from whatever had taken their co-worker.

 **[Du Lac residence]**

Tyson, Lexa, Percy, Ben and Aaron were at the latter's house, hanging out as usual as they waited for Emlie to return from taking Artemis to the command center because of some urgent matter that had summoned Artemis there. It had almost been an hour since the white ranger left, and the other rangers were growing somewhat bored.

To add to this, it seemed that over the course of an hour, the yellow and pink rangers had managed to raid Aaron's cupboards in the kitchen and ate just about everything edible, leaving the cupboards virtually bare.

Lexa slumped down on the couch in the living space and gave a groan. "Ugh, I'm bored, hungry and there's no food left!" The ranger complained as she threw a small tantrum.

Aaron was sat next to her, sipping a recently made cup of tea. "I'm surprised you are, since you just ate everything we have."

"Hey It wasn't just me, Tyson helped too!" The pink ranger exclaimed as she tried to divert some of the blame to her larger friend.

"I understand. You two can come help me restock the kitchen later. And you'll be paying too." The Templar ranger smirked, taking another sip from his cup before adjusting his glasses.

"Ah come on, Lexa said it was fine if we grabbed something!" The yellow ranger complained.

"I said yes to you having something, not everything." Their leader responded, emphasising the last word of his sentence.

As Tyson was about to plead some more, the front door opened and Emlie walked through it, seeing her friends over in the living room, trying to work their way out of what they'd gotten themselves into.

"Hey everyone, what's going on?" She asked, sitting down beside Aaron.

"Well, Tyson and Lexa just eat pretty much everything, so they're gonna be making up for that." Aaron explained before smirking. "And to think, I was gonna go make my special beef joint for you guys. Guess that's off now."

Lexa's mouth began to water at the thought and Tyson's stomach grumbled too. "Beef joint!?" Both the pink and yellow rangers exclaimed in surprise and delight.

"But until we get some more ingredients, that won't happen, so unless you chip in, there's not gonna be any special food for anyone." The ranger explained to them further, prompting the two to shoot up from their seats with a determined look in their eyes.

"We'll get those ingredients for you, no matter what!" Lexa declared as Tyson nodded in agreement.

'Too easy' Aaron thought to himself as he gave them a smirk. As he was about to get up however, he received a text from none other than Doctor Blake. The ranger gave a sigh and put his phone back away. "Sorry everyone, we'll have time for that later, right now there's been some kind of issue in town.

Lexa and Tyson went into a strop. "That means no food." The pink ranger complained as they headed out of the home just after the other rangers, not known to them of the events to come.

 **[Access Tunnel]**

Soon enough, the six rangers had made their way to the cause of the disturbance and had managed to make their way down into the very same access tunnels that the worker disappeared in.

As they walked down through the tunnels, they came to the area where the busted water main was located and they spread out to look over the damage Percy eyed the torn off pipe segment and gave it a once over. "I guess this is why most of the town's water is off." The blue ranger said to them as they looked over to see the chunk of pipe that had been ripped off.

Ben and Aaron walked toward the hole in the wall, as they did so however, the black ranger felt something knock his foot as he walked forward a bit more. Crouching down, he picked the object that was submerged in the shallow but murky water to find that the object was a construction hat, that must have been discarded in the panicked evacuation made earlier.

"Well that's not reassuring." Ben said tensely as he held up the helmet for the others to see.

"Okay then, there's only one thing for this. Whatever the cause of off this must be further in the cave system, and by the looks of it there's three paths to follow, so we should split up and try find whatever did this." Aaron informed them as the other five reluctantly joined him at the entrance of the cave.

Aaron and Percy stood in the middle of the group, ready to take the most central route, while Emlie and Tyson stood to take the left cave section. Lastly, Lexa and Ben were poised to take the rightmost cave system.

"We'll meet here if anything goes wrong then right?" Tyson reminded them, to which the others nodded before they began to go their separate ways for the time being.

As each group of two walked down their individual paths, they heard a rumbling, almost like an earthquake begin and the six of them turned their attention back to the way they came as the way out, along with any way to reach the other routes were cut off by the ceiling of the junction between the routes completely collapsing. The rangers were cut off from each other now, and had no way out.

On each side of the barrier of rubble, the rangers ran over and tried to get through to the others somehow. "Is everyone okay?" Aaron asked from his side.

"Guys, we're blocked off, can anyone get round to us?" Tyson asked while trying to remove some of the rubble blocking their path.

Lexa stomped her feet on the ground. "Oh great, we're trapped, now I'm gonna starve!"

No matter what any of them said from their side, they couldn't hear each other and therefore couldn't get a response from their comrades.

Percy looked at his friend and teammate who was desperate to find out if the others were okay. "We should go on ahead, maybe we can regroup further down, or find them if they're hurt." The blue ranger suggested.

Aaron gave a sigh and nodded in response to Percy before they began walking further down into the cave system. As the two rangers got to the next junction, they stopped just short of it.

"Any idea where we should go?" Percy asked, to which Aaron thought about for a few moments.

"Let's keep going straight for now, no idea where these tunnels lead." Aaron told the blue ranger as they began to continue on.

However, after they took their fist step forward, they fell through what appeared to be a rather deep hole in the ground, yelling out as they were falling, and hit a stone floor with a bang. When they hit the ground and opened their eyes, their vision was blurry and ally they could see were smashed and aged stone walls. As their sight grew dark, all the two downed rangers could hear was the sound of hoofs making contact with stone, coming closer and closer to them.

Meanwhile, Lexa and Ben were progressing the fastest of the two remaining groups of rangers, however Ben was starting to fall behind Lexa and her strong will to get out of the caves quickly. Yet as they came to a dead end, the pink ranger looked down to where another hole in the ground lay. This seemed to have less of a drop than the one Aaron and Percy fell through, but still lead to the same place.

Jumping down the hole, Lexa was soon joined by Ben and the two rangers scoped the area. What they appeared to be in was some type of huge stone maze underneath the cave system and ultimately Castelan itself.

Ben shivered a little. "This place is kinda creepy. Don't know why exactly but it feels a little unsettling, right?" He said as they walked, trying to navigate the Labyrinth they had found themselves in.

"Yeah, let's just hope the others are somewhere around here too."

Fortunately for them, Tyson and Emlie had indeed found themselves inside the maze as the others had, yet they were quite far away from the pink and black rangers that had begun navigating the maze as best they could.

As the white and yellow rangers walked aimlessly through the stone corridors, the former stopped them both as she heard the same stomping of hooves that Aaron and Percy had heard before losing consciousness.

"Hey, you hear that? Sounds like there's a horse or something down here." Emlie told Tyson as they stopped just before a junction and the two of the began to peer around the corner to see what it was that was making that sound.

As they looked, their eyes widened in surprise as they found the cause of the clattering. Now extremely close to them stood a monster of a being at about seven feet. What it was exactly they couldn't be sure of, but there was no use debating that. It did however, appear to be a cross between a man and a bull, it also sported a pair of glowing red eyes.

The two rangers hid around the corner again as the half-man half-bull stomped closer and began passing the two that were now up against the wall. It was in no time at all that the bull creature had passed them and was heading away from them.

Tyson wiped his forehead and gave a sigh of relief as the rangers moved out of their hiding place and were stood directly behind the bull-man. "Phew, at least that stupid bull didn't see us back there otherwise we'd be in big trouble right now." Tyson said in a relieved and slightly loud voice, that caught the attention of the exact thing he had just called stupid.

It quickly turned around to face the two rangers, who's eyes widened before they turned around and began running in the opposite way to where the monster currently stood.

"You and your big mouth Tyson!" Emlie exclaimed as the two ran with the beast charging after them.

"I know, sorry!" Tyson responded as they kept running, the two had reached the end of the passage and due to the pace of the bull, there was nowhere left to go.

The two screamed out in fear as the bull kept charging at the two. It was a surprisingly loud sound, that seemed to have bounced off of the walls of the Labyrinth, reaching the last two active rangers.

Ben and Lexa both got spooked by the screams, before it hit the pink ranger who the screams belonged to. "That sounds like Emlie." She told Ben who thought about it and nodded in agreement, The two were trying to remain calm, but things weren't alright.

The black ranger took a few deep breaths. "Okay, we just need to keep going, see if we can avoid whatever caused that and find the others. Sound like a plan?" He suggested to Lexa.

Fortunately the pink ranger nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's keep going." She finished as the two tried to keep calm despite all of the trouble and bad vibes they've had about this since coming here.

As they traverse the repetitive and therefore confusing complex of stone corridors and junctions, the two rangers stopped shy of another junction with a faint glow coming from the next area.

Ben sighed in defeat. "I give up, this place is exactly the same everywhere! I'm pretty sure we've been here about ten times already!" He exclaimed, clearly finished with attempting to get through the impossible Labyrinth.

Lexa was about to nod in agreement, also defeated by the maze, when she spotted the faint glow coming from the next zone. "Hey, that light wasn't here before." Lexa said to her teammate as they hurried around the corner to find that they now stood in what would be the heart of the Labyrinth. There they found their four other teammates, who were currently unconscious, along with the worker that had disappeared prior to the ranger's involvement too.

He looked over to see the teens and some form of hope was restored to the man, but that was only temporary as he heard the stomping of hooves coming closer. "Hey you kid hide, before it finds you!" He called out to them.

"Before what does?" Lexa asked as Ben turned around and tugged on Lexa's clothes with some desperation, eventually she did and her eyes widened like the others had upon seeing it.

"Before the Minotaur sees us!" Ben exclaimed, identifying the creature as the mythical Minotaur just before the creature itself let out a roar and charged at the two rangers.

Ben and Lexa tumbled out of the way of the raging Minotaur just before it hit them and caused it to charge into a wall, trapping it due to it's horns becoming lodged in the stone wall, albeit temporarily.

As the two rangers rested for a moment, Lexa glanced over to a small pedestal, similar to the multiple ones that they had come across before with the other weapons, resting upon it appeared to be a bow, and to the pink ranger, it felt as if the bow was drawing her toward itself.

The Minotaur was just about to pull itself free from the wall as Lexa picked up the bow and felt the power residing within the weapon. The bow itself seemed to be carved into a delicate and graceful weapon, crafted from what appeared to be a silver coloured wood that seemed to shine in the light.

The Minotaur roared to life again as it freed itself and turned to face the two remaining rangers. Ben stepped back until he was near the pink ranger, keeping his guard up as he did.

"Hey, Lexa, looks like our problem's back." The black ranger informed his friend.

The pink ranger gave a smirk as she turned to face the Minotaur. "Leave it to me." She said with confidence as she drew the bow as one would do, only for an arrow, composed of pink light to materialise.

The Minotaur charged forward with a roar, but just before the Minotaur was about to make contact and before Lexa released the arrow, the huge beast seemed to stop, and it seemed to become docile, just like any cow in a field would usually act. It trotted about for a moment before nuzzling the pink ranger, who put down the bow in confusion.

"What's going on?" She asked as the more animalistic Minotaur acted playfully with the pink ranger.

"Looks like he's taken a liking to you." Ben observed with a smirk.

"So that means I have a pet Minotaur now? Awesome! Now for a name. I'm gonna call you cuddles, because why not give a big scary monster a name you'd give a teddy bear?" She enthused, getting a chuckle out of Ben.

As they stood there, a small green light, like that of a firefly floated into the area. Followed by a familiar sight. Artemis ran into the room and was immediately confronted by 'Cuddles' The young teens widened.

"I really hope that tracking magic I used to get to you all didn't really mean 'take me to the big scary monster in the middle of a creepy maze.' Druid magic is really hard." The dryad ranger groaned as she tried her best not to run off in fear.

Lexa smiled, relieved to see that a rescue had finally come for them. "Don't worry about Cuddles, he's fine, as long as he's fed on time." She laughed, Artemis wasn't too sure if she was serious or not about that last part.

"Okay then, that's good, good to here. I guess the others are in for a shock too when they wake up." Artemis replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You can bet on it. Now can we get out of here, I've got a few people that owe me and Cuddles here can be really persuasive." Lexa smirked, getting a shocked look from both Artemis and Ben. "Kidding!" She reassured them, before patting Cuddles a little. 'Sort of' the pink ranger said in the back of her head with a smirk.

"This has been one really weird day then." Ben said to the two other rangers as he approached.

"Well, it's more like a day and a half, but yeah, you don't know the half of it." Artemis replied, thinking back to her time spent with Conjuro, though she didn't think too much about things, she couldn't help but feel that there was something strange about him, but she couldn't quite understand why that was. Perhaps time would tell. But for the time being, the rangers could use a rest from the events of the past day and a half. They had certainly been strange for sure.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is chapter 38 everyone, and a pretty wacky one at that. Maybe I'm just suffering withdrawal from the usual wackiness of a certain other story I write, and I just needed this. But for some reason, which will be revealed, Lexa now has a pet Minotaur and the rangers are a step closer to collecting all the weapons in the legend, but from here, it gets harder.**

 **Looks like we're only two chapters away from chapter 40 too. And I have something special planned I'm hoping a friend can help out with and it'll be pretty nice if things go well with that, but for now, we have a legendary weapon to unlock.**

 **Now just a note on my lack of updating, some of you know I do extensive world building in my stories, and right now I've begun planning a fantasy original story that I'm gonna be trying to write, and I'm doing the world building on that at the moment, so there might be a bit of influence from my original work in the future, here or in other places, but I may get sidetracked with that or otherwise like this week and updates may slow, but I'll try keep things as they usually are. Okay, I think I've babbled enough. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all later.**

 **Next Chapter: Cursed**

 **Synopsis: The Carnival is finally in town and things start off great, the rangers enjoying downtime before their next big battle, but not is all that it seems as a haunting and ghostly figure seems to be sabotaging the fairground, incidentally putting the rangers in danger too. Can they solve what's going on at the carnival before things get worse? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	40. Chapter 39: Cursed

Ch39: Cursed

An abundance of sounds of merriment and joyous music had filled a wide open grassland area to the east of Castelan which was now currently home to huge fairground rides and wide tents. Every summer, a travelling Carnival would visit the town and help people forget about the troubles of their daily lives. Especially needed due to the events of the past year. It was now close to a month left until summer ended, so everyone wanted to make what time they had left memorable while they still could, and what better way to enjoy the highlight of the summer with the rest of the town?

As the many events went on in the background the seven power rangers were walking through, scoping out what they'd like to do first. It wasn't long until they reached what looked to be a stage that was set up from some kind of eating event. Atop the stage was a middle aged man in a brown suit and held a microphone. "Step right up people! The hotdog eating contest is about to begin. If there are any more contestants, please make your way up before we begin."

Both Tyson and Lexa stopped in their tracks as their eyes widened. "Hotdog…" Lexa Began.

"Eating…" Tyson followed on before the two's faces lit up brightly.

"Contest!?" They exclaimed in unison, excited at the thought before rushing as quickly as they could to the stage to participate.

As this happened, the other rangers laughed at their two friends. It was no secret that the two enjoyed food, but the way they shot onto the stage in that moment seemed to be ridiculously fast.

As they laughed on at the yellow and pink ranger's antics, Artemis glanced around the fairground for a second and something caught her eye. A small tent. It looked to be something that a fortune teller would work from, yet to the young ranger, she felt drawn to it somehow, like energy drawing her in, perhaps something to do with her newfound magical affinity. As the other rangers intently watched as Lexa and Tyson began their fight to be crowned the hot dog eating champion, Artemis wandered off toward the tent.

She ventured inside to find an old woman, she appeared to have romanian heritage that was given away in her appearance, and was wearing the well known style that a fortune teller would wear. She gave a smile to the ranger and motioned with her hand to offer her a seat.

Artemis sat down opposite the Romani woman, in between them was a circular table with a deep navy covering over it. Atop the table there was a deck of tarot cards that were spread along as if ready for a reading.

"I've been waiting for you child." The old fortune teller said to the young witch. "I felt your energy as you were drawn here. You are strong, but it's fate that decides what becomes of you. Humor an old woman will you, allow me to do a reading."

Artemis thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Okay, it can't really end up being a bad thing can it?"

The old woman gave a warm smile. "I wish it was, but fate chooses what comes next child. But be warned, what comes next you may not like it." She finished, causing Artemis' optimism on the reading to fade slightly.

Yet still Artemis was somewhat curious in what the future might hold, so she went through with the reading. After the fortune teller had gone through all the steps with the ranger, she turned the first card to reveal what it showed.

"The Tower. Conflict, Disruption, Major changes are coming. Even going as far as a sudden and perhaps even violent loss, but in the end it could lead to a light at the end of the tunnel." She told Artemis, the outlook of the first card wasn't overly good if what she had said was true. Yet there were more cards to be revealed.

"What's the next card?" Artemis asked, the fortune teller turned the next card, revealing it to be a far more cryptic card than the first one.

"The Hanged Man. Perhaps a willingness to adapt to those changes, making the transition easier. A sacrifice of some kind, to achieve an otherwise unreachable goal. There's something else there. A transformation, no, a rebirth? The last one is hard to see." She informed the ranger sitting opposite her as she turned another card.

Both the old woman's and Artemis' eyes widened at the third card. The last card shocked the two of them. She became worried about what that third card could mean. Was she in danger, were her friends and family in danger? It was rather distressing for the ranger as she ran out with a clearly upset face as she tried to not let it get to her too much, despite not knowing the meaning behind this card, Whatever was on this card was something grim indeed.

The fortune teller just sat there. "She left without knowing what else may come in the future, but for the time being I believe she knows enough." She said to herself in the empty tent.

 **[Contest Stage]**

Back outside on the stage, The contest was winding down. There were now only three people in the race. Lexa, Tyson and the current champion of the contest, a rather large man by the nickname 'Big Joe'. As the large contestant tried shovelling as many in as he could, a horn sounded as the crowd gave a cheer.

"We have a new champion!" The announcer called out to the crowd just beneath as he headed over and held up the arm of the new champion. To almost everyone's surprise, the announcer raised the arm of the most unlikely looking of contestants. The new champion was in fact Lexa.

"How can someone so small eat so much?" Big Joe asked as he tried finishing the remaining hot dogs in his mouth.

The four rangers down in the crowd laughed at that comment as Aaron scratched the back of his head. "I ask myself that question every time she steals my food. The day I find the answer is the day I actually manage to eat something with her around."

As they continued laughing about their teammate winning and everyone's surprise in it happening, Artemis hurried back to the others, she still looked somewhat upset. From where she was stood, Emlie noticed the younger ranger and the look on her face.

"What's wrong, you look worried, are you okay?" The white ranger asked, trying to find out more before she tried to comfort the younger teen.

"Just one of those stupid fortune teller card readings. It said some things, and it looked really bad." Artemis replied, trying to calm herself down by dismissing it as hocum.

"Well you know all those are fake, just making money to get by. I doubt they can really see the future." Emlie responded, helping Artemis to get over the situation.

The younger ranger gave a nod, somewhat getting over it and trying her best to keep it that way. It was not long after this that the two rangers that had been on stage joined back with the others that had been cheering them on.

Lexa and Tyson had enjoyed themselves in the small competition. As they were being congratulated, Lexa glanced behind the crowd of people to see a strange sight. Behind a row of stalls, in a rather shadowed and deserted area, stood a chilling sight. At first glance it would appear to be a woman in her late thirties that was stood staring straight forward, and coincidentally at the pink ranger. But on further inspection, this was no woman at all. Pale skin that appeared to a be deathlike colour, ragged features and a discoloured, battered and bruised, neck. She appeared to be wrapped in a cloth from head to toe, arms folded and bound in the cloth, yet her feet were free to move.

The pink ranger just looked at this ghostly figure as if she had been lured into some form of a hypnotic trance. As she tried to make sense of it, she was interrupted by the other rangers' conversation.

"Hey Lexa, we heard there's some bumper cars not too far from here, we're heading over there now if you wanna come." Percy told her as the others got ready to head off. "Lexa?" He asked, noticing her in this spaced out state.

Soon enough she snapped out of it and turned to face her friend. "Oh, uh, sorry. I just remembered that there's something else I've gotta do. I'll catch up to you guys later." She told him before jogging off toward the ghostly figure that had began to walk away from where she was stood, as if she wanted Lexa to follow her.

The pink ranger started to go into a jog as she tried to catch up to this being that had caught her attention. Soon enough, the ranger came across a tent, it appeared to be one made for either temporary living or as an office space, this was where the ghostly woman had disappeared to.

Upon entering the tent, Lexa saw that the chilling form of the woman had stopped at a large container on the floor, in addition the room had a ghastly smell to it. Heading over to the box and opening it up the pink ranger's eyes widened and she fell back at the sight of what was in there. The very same ghostly woman she had saw had been wrapped up in a cloth from head to toe and shoved in a box. It appeared as if she had died from suffocation by strangling and had been there for a few days now. That's when she heard footsteps behind her for a second before whoever it was came to an abrupt stop.

Turning around, the pink ranger saw that it was the ringmaster of the circus tent. "You're not supposed to be here." He said to the teen before realising that she had discovered the secret he had been hiding in the trunk. "And you certainly weren't supposed to see that. I was an accident. I didn't mean to do it, she just kept struggling. But now someone knows, I'm afraid I can't let you leave." The ringmaster said as he approached Lexa and grabbed ahold of her hands.

As he did so, the ranger struggled as best she could against the rigmaster that was trying to take her hostage to keep her from talking. "Let me go already!" Lexa exclaimed as she pushed the rigmaster away and her bow amulet underneath her shirt began to glow with a faint pink light, not long after the legendary bow she had received emerged in her hands. It appeared to have gained some silver plating on the tips of the bow and at the middle at either side of the grip, that seemed to have intricately carved patterns in them. The pink ranger quickly drew the bow and pointed it at the ringmaster.

"Now now, you don't have to get violent." The ringmaster bargained, attempting to reason.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't mess with you some more. Cuddles!" She called out before whistling. Soon enough, the huge beast of a minotaur known as Cuddles stomped into the room, snarling at the ringmaster.

"W-W-What is that!?" The ringmaster trembled as Cuddles stared down the culprit.

"He's my pet minotaur of course! And you know, I think I forgot to feed him today, so he'll be extra hungry." Lexa smirked as the Minotaur breathed heavily. The ringmaster gulped. "So here's how it's gonna go down you'll turn yourself in and confess to what you did. Otherwise, I think Cuddles here might just be hungry enough to eat you."

"Eat?" The ringmaster repeated, gulping again, afraid of getting eaten by whatever monstrosity of nature was standing before him. "Okay just don't let that thing eat me!" The ringmaster begged, his voice breaking down in a display of fear.

Lexa laughed and petted Cuddles on the head. "And that's how you catch a criminal. Maybe I should be a detective. Me and my Minotaur, fighting crime." Lexa joked as her Minotaur breathed heavily from its nostrils in some kind of response.

 **[Smith Household]**

It was evening in Castelan and after the ringmaster turned himself in, the police arrived on scene to remove the body and perform forensics, and the fairground was closed for the day while interviews were conducted. It would be open again tomorrow after the case was closed. The news was currently on in the Smith Household and Percy along with his brother Max were watching the roundup.

Janine Lane, Emlie's mother and the news anchor for the town, was currently reporting on the news of the case. "The ringmaster of the fairground that comes in town every year has been arrested today following a confession of a murder before the body was even discovered. When asked why he confessed when he could've gotten away without anyone finding out, he responded with 'I don't want to get eaten by the monster.' Police believe that he's had some form of psychotic break resulting in his crime and are currently closing the case. It is a shame as he was loved by the community for all his years of work with the town. More on this tomorrow. I've been Janine Lane and this has been news on five. Goodnight." She finished as the screen cut away.

As Percy sat there, he was zoned out, thinking more about the events of the day. 'So Lexa leaves for no reason after eating a bunch of hotdogs and then comes back and tells us that she's unlocked her weapon. I'm guessing that the ringmaster's confession is her doing too then, she does have a big monster as her pet. But my chances of asking her out today are dashed because of that.' Percy sighed as he sat there. 'I guess I'll just have to say it tomorrow when we're at the fair again. Hopefully Abaddon and his demons don't ruin it though.' The blue ranger thought to himself.

 **[Blackspire]**

At the entrance to the throne room Fleruty stood, barring the entrance as a group of Thrall footsoldiers fought against a group of unknown warriors. They appeared to be red skinned humanoids clad in dark metal armour and wielding deadly swords that also had a certain crude aesthetic to them. A slightly taller version of these warriors that appeared to have heavier looking armour and carried a long trident weapon fought at the front.

Soon enough the Thralls were overpowered and quickly defeated. The obvious leader of these mysterious warriors turned to face the Demonic commander. "We came here due to rumors that Abaddon has returned, the General of our now shattered legions. If this is true, we came to serve."

Fleruty snorted and gave a chuckle. "I believe you have the wrong one. This is the Demon prince Abaddon, soon to be master of all the earth. But I assume you want revenge against humanity for your defeat."

The leader of these warriors nodded, confirming their intentions. "Then we can aid each other. Before we enter, I want your names." Fleruty offered the leader of this group.

"I am Commander Nokori and these are a section of my troops, Magog footsoldiers, we have more waiting outside. As far as I know, we are all that is left of our once great force. We are the remnants of the Cambion Legion." Commander Nokori introduced.

Fleruty smirked in response. "Cambion? Now that is something that I haven't heard in a long time."

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that is Chapter 39. Now it was going to go a little differently with some rides being sabotaged by the spirit, but I needed to put the bit with Artemis and the reading for reasons that won't become clear until later. Take note of that however, it's the first clue as to what's to come. I left out what the final card showed to make what's to come a lot more obscure so you can't work it out fully until the final pieces fall into place and it all happens. Other than that, I gave a teaser as to what is to come at the very end and it's something I'm really gonna enjoy doing.**

 **In related news, I've been busy planning for the end of Act 2 which has only six chapters left now this chapter is done. I've got it practically how I want it and the location for a lot of it is gonna change to a place I can write about more easily. But you'll find about that after the next Chapter.**

 **Lastly I'd like to thank my good friend Sir Perfluous for his contribution to Mythos, as in case you haven't guessed yet, the villains teased are the Cambion Demons from his first series Vanguard. It'll be fun to work with his villain types for the next chapter and I look forward to working with him in the future on later projects when that happens. For anyone wondering, this does indeed mean that Vanguard and its linked stories do occur in the same universe, something we've both agreed on and we're looking forward to doing more like this in the future. That's all for now and as always, thanks for reading.**

 **Next Chapter: Cambion**

 **Synopsis: The search for the legendary weapons is coming to a close with only Tritonis to be found. But as the rangers enjoy another day at the fair, they encounter a new enemy that they haven't faced before, the remnant forces of the Cambion legion. Pitted against these new foes. Can the Mythos rangers defeat a threat from another time and another war? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos**


	41. Chapter 40: Cambion

Ch40: Cambion

Within the Spire, Fleruty stood at the door to the throne room. He was the only thing between the remnant Cambions and Prince Abaddon. After the events only moments ago, the small force of Magogs and their commanding officer stood in silence at Fleruty's last words. "Cambion? Now that is something that I haven't heard in a long time." A confident smirk was spread across the demon general's face, it was as if he knew something that the Cambion forces didn't.

"What do you mean?" Commander Nokori asked, unsure as to the other demon's intent here, proceeding to grip his blade as a precaution to the outcome of Fleruty's next words.

"You Cambions seem clueless about history it seems. You've known about other demon castes such as those led by Bansheera, the filthy lower demons of the earth as they were known, but you don't know what came before. We were the very first demons, brought into existence long before the Empyreans built their civilisation. We were there to see the first of your brethren turn and become Cambions, but to the new knowledge given to us by this time, this was before your great war between yourselves. We were cast away when your people were just learning the fundamentals of a civilisation. We saw your strength but never utilised it, perhaps that was our failure at the time. Maybe if we corrupted Empyreans instead of dismissing the potential, a Cambion force could have won the world with the true demons leading them. As for the general you came here to find. Has it occurred to you that perhaps he found something detailing our history, taking the name of our leader as his own when he fell to become a Cambion?" The demonic general suggested to the Cambion commander before him.

"How did we never hear of such a thing? Even before we began our war we should've known that there were more than just one other group of demons. The Empyreans must have hidden this from us all, the fools, nothing stays hidden forever." Nokori said to himself as he loosened his grip on his sword, finally coming to his own understanding that the Empyreans must have hidden the existence of more demons due to the possibility of it increasing the chances that more of them could have turned to the Cambion forces and bolstered their numbers.

"Now we're on the same page and you understand you're but insects compared to real demons, you may see Abaddon, the real Abaddon." Fleruty told the commander and his detachment of Magogs.

Following the general through the doors, the Cambion group were brought into the imposing throne room of the demon prince, in some ways it and the Blackspire reminded them of the tattered spire they had been imprisoned in for so long before they broke free, yet there was a far more powerful atmosphere inside the throne room now, one that even Fleruty felt as he knelt before the raised obsidian throne which the demon overlord sat upon, clutching the arms of his seat tightly.

"Kneel before lord Abaddon!" Fleruty sharply ordered to the Cambion unit beside him as the demon prince gave an amused smirk whilst eying the weapon that Nokori carried.

"Fleruty, that is not how we treat a guest. These demons, even if not of our prestige, have travelled a long way and have already succeeded where you have failed. The weapon he carries is one of the last either us or the rangers have yet to find." Abaddon informed them all as he slowly arose from his seat and began walking towards the Commander of the remnant forces.

"W-What do you mean?" Commander Nokori asked with a hint of fear and nervousness in his voice as the demon prince that now stood before him held his hand out, waiting for the Cambion to give him the weapon.

"The weapon, Tritonis, it has power I need. Where did you find this?" He asked as Nokori handed the weapon to Abaddon.

"When our forces scattered, I took command of what forces I could muster. We began searching for a way to take revenge on the rangers that had defeated us. I planned to use the beast Leviathan to destroy them, we scoured ancient burial sites for months until we found a temple in a cave by an abandoned and treacherous stretch of river. It contained the weapon and a text describing that it has some form of power. When we began our journey to unleash the beast, we encountered a few Magog stragglers. From what they told us, a Captain tried what we had and succeeded in bringing the Leviathan back, but he and it were defeated by the combined effort of two teams of power rangers. We have wandered ever since, until we heard news of The demonic army here." Nokori recounted, giving Abaddon news on the obscure events since before his release.

"I see. Then together, perhaps we can defeat the ranger problem here. If all goes according to plan thereafter, there will be no one and nothing that can stop our rule. Together, the demons can rise again." Abaddon grinned maliciously, as if there was more to the plans of the demon prince, as he passed back Tritonis to Nokori.

 **[Castelan Fair]**

After the events of yesterday, people were somewhat sceptical as to the safety of the whole event, but when enjoying the different events of the carnival, their focus on that matter seemed to drift away and toward whatever fairground game or ride that had shifted their attention.

Due to the location of the fair, a corn field stood right next to the area where the festival was taking place, the farmer that tends the field transforms it into a corn maze each year when the fair comes to town, It has become a sort of tradition now and this is where the seven power rangers were stood only a couple of hours before sunset.

"So you two are gonna go into the maze then? Alright, there's gonna be a fireworks display after sundown, so we should all meet up again just before it" Percy said to both Aaron and Emlie who were stood at the entrance of the maze facing their friends.

"Alright, we'll see you guys later." Aaron responded, waving off the rest of his friends as he and Emlie departed into the corn maze.

As they disappeared around a bend, the remaining rangers decided on what they would do until it was time for them to meet up again. The blue ranger turned to Lexa, though he was rather nervous right now, he mustered up as much courage as he could before speaking. "Lexa, do you wanna go around the fair with me?" Percy asked, trying to keep calm as he spoke.

"Sure, as long as you're paying for lunch." The pink ranger smirked mischievously at him as she made that remark. Shortly after, the two rangers departed for their unofficial date.

Now whittled down to three rangers, they looked back and forth at each other. "So, any ideas what we can do now? Artemis asked the other two rangers that were stood there with blank faces.

 **[Corn Maze]**

It had already been half an hour since Aaron and Emlie had entered the corn maze and were now wandering aimlessly looking for the centre of the maze. As they turned the corner, they came across a rather relaxed looking scarecrow propped up against a wooden post in the corner of the area of the maze they were currently stood in.

"That thing looks kinda creepy doesn't it." Emlie pointed out as they approached the scarecrow, referring to its messily stitched on mouth and dark patches for eyes.

"Yeah, hopefully it's just a normal scarecrow though and not another demon plot." He replied as they two got closer to inspect the scarecrow. As they examined it, all of a sudden the head of the figure twitched and the white and Templar rangers jumped back slightly from the shock of the head moving.

"Okay that was pretty creepy. But whoever's doing this, you got us good, just don't do it again please." Emlie called out, trying to project her voice as far as she could.

After she finished, the white ranger turned to the path they were originally following. As she looked further down the path, the scarecrow began to move, twitching about all over its body before standing upright before walking forward toward the two rangers.

"Emlie, we might want to run now." Aaron suggested to her before she turned her head to see the scarecrow treading toward them.

Grabbing her boyfriend's hand tightly, the white ranger made a break for it as fast as she could, dragging Aaron behind her as she did. "What the hell is that thing!?" She exclaimed breaking into a sprint, causing Aaron to be sent into a sort of rag doll state with the scarecrow hot on their tail.

 **[Fairground - Circus]**

Along with the fair, came the circus. Unfortunately due to the ringmaster now facing a lot of jail time due to his actions, the main event had been postponed until today. Lexa and Percy sat on the front row as a lion tamer walked out and began his routine with two African lions.

As he had gotten to the halfway point of his routine, the two lions he was facing off against cowered in fear before the tamer before fleeing back into their cages. The performer was left dazed as to what had just happened, but that was cut short by the cries of the audience closest to the exit as a large platoon of Cambion demons marched in, threatening the audience with their crude blades as the Magog foot soldiers formed a barrier around the ring.

Commander Nokori stood in the center of the ring, Tritonis clenched tightly in his hand as he addressed the civilians that were now being held hostage. "Listen up humans. You are now hostages of the remnants of the Cambion legion. With our demonic allies that have attacked your city, we're here to take you all as insurance that the power rangers in this town show up. So be quiet and wait for the real show to begin." He announced to them.

Both Lexa and Percy nodded to each other, though their time to rest had been cut short, it was time to get to work. Standing up, the two rangers landed quick snapping punches on a pair of Magogs that barred their way to the Commander of this demonic force.

"I suppose you're the rangers then? Not at all what I expected, but still, I can practice for when I destroy the rangers that wiped so many of my people out." Nokori said to the pink and blue rangers that he now opposed, his voice appeared full of confidence as he levelled the trident at Percy. "I hope you appreciate the irony in being defeated by a weapon you were meant to wield." Nokori laughed as he charged at the blue ranger with Tritonis.

"Mythos Ignite!" The two rangers called out, morphing quickly to counter the Cambion leader.

Percy used his blade to push away the trident as its prongs came closer to his head. As he did so, Lexa summoned her legendary weapon, Artemis' bow to combat the force of Magogs that had now began charging at the two. From where she was stood, a volley of arrows composed entirely of a pink toned energy shot into the Cambion forces that were coming closer with each of the Magogs she managed to take down.

As Nokori lunged with Tritonis, Percy charged up his blade with elemental water energy, With a forceful sweep of his blade, the blue ranger managed to cut at the fingers of the Cambion before him, causing a pained reaction from the demon and forcing the legendary trident to be thrown out of Nokori's hands and causing it to clatter to the ground.

Meanwhile, Lexa unleashed a powerful charged shot from her bow that swept away more Cambion forces, but she was still severely outnumbered and had forced the pink ranger into a defensive position as she desperately tried to block the blows from the Magog's crude weapons with her bow. Despite this, one of the foot soldiers previously thought defeated arose slowly before creeping behind the pink ranger and cutting straight down her back, knocking her out of ranger form and causing her to collapse to the ground in a pained cry.

This happened just as Percy crouched down to grip a hold of Tritonis. The blue ranger looked over to see his friend and crush let out her pained cry as she collapsed and the Magogs turned their attention to him. Percy grabbed the weapon and rose up only to be knocked back down to the ground as he turned from a kick to the stomach by the Cambion Commander.

"What a fool you are. You can't even keep your eye on your opponent. If you can't do that, there's no use worrying about anyone but yourself. If rangers are this weak now, defeating a group of out of practice Vanguard rangers should be easy. But first. We'll deal with you weaklings."

Percy coughed as he managed to grip the handle of the trident. "We're not weak. We're strong because we care about each other, about everyone you've terrorised. You'll never win, because good always beats evil." The blue ranger declared as he coughed some more.

Nokori stomped on his downed opponent's back, causing a sharp pain to coarse through the back of the blue ranger. As it did so however, Tritonis lit up with blue light, shining throughout the circus tent. Soon enough it died down and the trident had changed shape. It was now a sleek silver weapon, the three prongs were now elegantly curved with the more arrowhead shaped prong tips finishing the aesthetic of the weapon. Alongside the newly unlocked weapon, Percy felt as surge of energy and quickly knocked off the Cambion leader before turning to face the remaining Magogs in the arena.

"I think it's high time that the Cambions come to an end!" Percy called out as he channeled his water element energy into the weapon before charging into the Magog line and unleashing a swirling tempest of water into the foot soldiers and washing them away. The last of his warriors now gone, it was down to Nokori to secure the Cambions live on. Being the last known Cambion it was now his destiny, in his eyes.

Percy quickly helped the pink ranger up who groaned as she held her side. "You alright? I can finish this guy by myself if you can't carry on." Despite his suggestion, Lexa shrugged the pain off.

"I'll be fine. Let's just kick this demon's butt and I'll feel better for it." She responded before morphing again and summoning her legendary bow.

"Alright, let's take him out together!" Percy exclaimed as he began spinning Tritonis clockwise while drawing upon his elemental energy to begin creating some form of whirlpool.

As he did so, the pink ranger drew her bow back as far as she could, also pouring as much elemental energy into the arrow that was forming as she could. As she did so, the silvery components on the bow began to sparkle brightly. The two looked at each other for a moment and gave a nod as they prepare to unleash their finishing moves on Nokori, who could no longer move due to previous injuries sustained from the blue ranger's throw.

"Neptune's Whirlpool!" The blue ranger called out before releasing the powerful attack infused with his elemental energy which struck Nokori heavily and caused the Cambion to drop onto one knee.

"Marksman's Trueshot!" Lexa called out as loud as she could, releasing the string before watching as the arrow build up a powerful sheet of wind around it that ploughed straight into their opponent and caused the demon to drop down onto both knees as he surged with energy and began to crack all over his body.

"For our legacy to end here. To be defeated by mere children, an insult to the Cambion name. Lord Gideon, forgive me." Nokori coughed as he exploded into a pile of ash and brimstone.

The two rangers cheered, finally Nokori had been defeated, and hopefully the Cambion threat had been extinguished forever…

 **[Corn Maze]**

Sprinting as fast as they could, Emlie and Aaron had finally made their way to the entrance of the maze. There they panted, clearly out of breath from all the running they had just done.

"I think we lost it." Aaron said as he tried to catch his breath. A tap on their shoulders from behind.

They turned to let out fearful screams as the scarecrow stood before them, they were about to run again when they saw the scarecrow begin to remove its 'head' first long dark brunette hair fell out from the bag mask and then the two ranger's eyes widened when they saw who was under the mask.

"Vala!?" The two exclaimed in surprise and shock.

None other than Vala Stross had been hiding under the mask. As it turned out, she has been hired by the farmer to dress up and scare people, clearly it had indeed worked.

"I'm glad it was you and not some walking scarecrow monster." Emlie said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, good to know. Looks like my shift is over anyway. I'll see you guys soon." Vala waved as she headed off to change into some casual clothes.

"As long as nothing else pops up that's the strange thing we're gonna have to deal with today." Aaron hoped as the two headed back into the fairground.

 **[Fairground - Circus]**

As the two rangers celebrated their most recent victory, the ground began to shake as a small object within the ash and brimstone remnants activated. From the remains of his old body arose a new giant Nokori that began stomping the fairground in fury.

"My General gave me a Cambion sigil so long ago. This is not the end of the Cambions, not yet. I shall make sure that you rangers fall here, today!" He roared as the two morphed rangers called upon their zords.

The swordfish zord reacted to the presence of Tritonis, diving deep into the waters it was swimming in, only to emerge as a huge whale that leapt from the waters and slammed into Commander Nokori, staggering the giant Cambion.

Similarly, the panther zord Lexa piloted reacted to the presence of the bow and became enshrouded by a pink tornado which burst apart soon enough to emergy as a gallant deer.

On the ground. The two groups of rangers noticed the giant fight emerging. The three other core rangers realising that all of their zords had now morphed into something new and would now form a completely new Megazord if they tried.

Summoning their zords. The five of them now charged together in unison for the first time in a while to take on the Cambion demon together. As they began the Megazord formation, the yellow rhino zord folded to become the torso of the Megazord. Following on, the black mole zord attached itself to the left side of the torso becoming the left arm/drill weapon. In similar fashion, the deer zord folded itself and attached to the other side, becoming the right arm and shield that could also be used as some form of offensive weapon. Next, the whale zord shifted before splitting vertically and attaching to the bottom of the torso, becoming the feet of the Megazord. Finally the white Canary zord landed atop the torso and planted itself into the rest of the machine, then proceeding to reconfigure into the head of the zord which appeared to be similar to that of a roman Centurion's helmet.

The new Megazord stood ready with the five rangers in the cockpit of the new Megazord. Either she had been giving it some thought for a while and knew that they'd receive an new Megazord or the name just came to her then and there, but the White ranger knew exactly what to dub the latest addition to their arsenal.

"Colossus Megazord, ready!" Emlie called out as this new Megazord squared off against the Cambion Commander.

Nokori charged forward and brought his fist back to punch the Megazord, only for it to hit the antlers on the right harm, protecting the Megazord and causing Nokori to yell in pain from hitting the pointed shield. Coming in with an attack of their own, the Colossus Megazord lunged in with its arm drill knocking back their opponent and causing a great deal of damage to the demon too.

"This is where it ends!" The white ranger called out as they channeled the power of their legendary weapons into their Megazord.

"Colossal Destruction!" The five rangers called out as the Megazord glew brightly with their respective colours before attacking with both its arms, sending the energy into Nokori with one powerful and unified attack.

"All rangers will pay for what they have done to the once great Cambions. Mark my words!" Commander Nokori declared as he exploded into a much larger pile of ash and brimstone.

"Myth Busted!" The five of them cheered as they had finished off the Cambion threat that had been brought to them today.

 **[Command Center]**

A day after the events at the fair, all of the rangers had reconvened at their headquarters. They stood around a table with their legendary weapons in their hands. One by one they placed them down on the table.

Doctor Blake stood opposite them with a smile on his face. "Well done rangers. We've managed to find all of the weapons and keep them from Abaddon and his army. All that's left to do now is-" The mentor was cut off as the weapons began to light up in a silvery aura before out of nowhere, a large map of the world projected itself from the six weapons on the table. A bright X marked a location, but no more information was given other than this. "It looks like something wants us to go to where that X is. But where is that?" The mentor asked as he thought on about it.

Aaron looked at the map again for a moment before realising where it was. "I know where it wants us to go, roughly anyway. It looks like the weapons want us to find something there too. That place, it's in England." Aaron finishing, determining that whatever lead the weapons had given them lead to his home country.

Doctor Blake thought on it for a moment. "Then there's no time to sweat. We're going after whatever's over there. We're going to England."

 **[Blackspire]**

Fleruty knelt in front of his master, he feared the worst from Abaddon after another failure, after practically a complete failure. "Don't fear my wrath today Fleruty. I have a mission for you, to follow the rangers to the location of the last weapon, without it my plans cannot proceed. I suppose you're wondering why I tolerated a lesser being too. The answer is simple, He was a weak demon who believed he was strong. Having the trident I sent him to be destroyed by the rangers so that they may take it. Then with all the weapons and only then may they find the location to the last weapon. It is far easier to get your enemy to do the work for you, especially when there are trials only they can pass to get to it. They believe they've almost won. The truth is far from it. Follow them and take as many troops as you need, then bring me all the weapons. The last weapon is key, for it is an all powerful sword, it is Excalibur."

 **|Mythos|**

 **That concludes the 40th chapter special everyone. Looks like the Cambions are finally done for, probably as long as they don't somehow resurface again, but it was fun using them and blending the Mythos and Vanguard lore together, thanks to some collaboration to get it all right, I think it went well. And finally the original five rangers have a better Megazord. Its much needed seeing as in the whole of Act 2 they've had a lot of trouble in the huge monster fight area if it's just the first five fighting.**

 **So we're going into the final arc of Act 2. This is going to be the Quest for Excalibur arc which is going to focus on all the rangers and everything that's happened to get to this point. We'll be seeing the return of an old face or maybe even more too. Now when it's over, there'll be a two part finale to the act, but it doesn't mean that this story is over yet. There's one final arc to go through, but I will be taking some hiatus when I finish the act up. That said I'm aiming to get out two more chapters of Mythos out this week and then another three next week, then I can get back to writing some other things. Until the next time everyone.**

 **Next Chapter: A Trip to England**

 **Synopsis: After a long battle, the rangers have six legendary weapons in their Possession. When brought in close proximity to each other, they projected a map, one that is now directing them to England. To reach the final resting place of Excalibur however, the rangers must face trials to prove they are worthy of the weapon. Can they retrieve Excalibur before Fleruty finds them? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	42. Chapter 41: A Trip to England

Ch41: A Trip to England

The bright late summer sun peered through a large mass of clouds as a passenger plane touched down on a runway at Bristol International Airport, England. After going through a series of security checks, the seven power rangers, Doctor Blake and Jamie were now free to continue into the country and begin their search for the final weapon.

As the group of nine walked out of the airport terminal, eight of them felt a cold shiver as a gust of wind blew. "Man it's cold here." Tyson complained as they walked to the curb by the drop off point.

"Welcome to England." Aaron remarked, and as if on cue, a light spray of rain began to fall from the clouds that had now obscured the sun. "Yeah, this is definitely home." The ranger smirked referring to the typical and predictable weather.

As the group stood there, a small black limousine pulled up. Despite it's size, it would be capable of taking all of them at once. A man in his thirties stepped out of the driver's seat and walked over to open the door for the group to enter. Once they had all headed into the vehicle, the door was closed and they were driven away to their destination.

As they journeyed, the pink ranger turned to face the resident Englishman. "So where are we going exactly?" Lexa asked, curious as to their first destination in their journey in the country.

"Well I contacted my father soon after we found the location and asked him if there was anywhere we could stay while we searched the south of England for whatever's here. He's up in the north right now and let's just say the estate he has is about a day's drive from where we need to be. So he contacted another family that moved to America some time ago, They have an estate in Somerset we can use while we're on the hunt. It means we can go about our business without interruption, but I was looking forward to seeing a friend of mine while we're here. But that can always happen another time. For now, let's focus on getting what we came for." He explained to them all, Lexa sat back in the seat as the car drove through the English countryside.

"So is Somerset like a state then?" Percy asked as he looked out of the window to see just how much of the area was open fields and hills.

"Kind of. It's one of the southern counties and in my opinion is the second best county in the country, of course Yorkshire is the best." The Templar ranger smirked. "If you go there you'd understand, but if it's not in Yorkshire, it's not worth going." His grin seemed to be an attempt to suppress his laugh at the inside joke only he and other brits would really get.

 **[Estate]**

Soon enough they arrived at the estate, the others were in awe at the beautifully maintained garden and plants at the estate, as the vehicle pulled up in front of the huge mansion of a home and they exited, they looked on in wonder at the estate before them, all the while Aaron was amused with the other eight's reactions.

"You're acting like you haven't ever seen a rich family's English estate before." He joked as the door was opened by a rather well dressed elderly man who walked out with other men wearing the same attire and similarly, a group of maids that had exactly the same number as the group of butlers.

The elderly man stepped forward and gave a short bow to Aaron. "Welcome once again young sir, your choice of compatriots is rather interesting, but I assume they are good company if they are with you. I and the staff are at your disposal. If you could wait here one moment while the staff take your friends in, there is one other duty I must carry out."

"Of course." Aaron paused and turned to his friends and allies. "You go on ahead." He told them before returning to the head butler as the others were escorted inside. "So, what else do you need to do?"

The butler produced an envelope from his inside pocket and handed it to the ranger. "A letter from the young miss. Without knowledge of where you were after leaving the country last year, she told me to give it to you if you came back, before she and the family left themselves. You being her only real friend, I think she was missing you and wanted one last chat. That is all, so if you'd like to follow me, we'll get you all settled in."

 **[The Tor]**

It was the evening on the first day in the country and the mentor of the rangers had finished pinpointing the location that the weapons had directed to them. Interestingly enough, it had led them to one of many suspected real world locations of the burial site of King Arthur. The one they currently stood at the base of was the Glastonbury Tor. An old stone tower that stood atop a huge hill rising five hundred and eighteen feet, or one hundred and fifty eight meters, into the air. It was a huge mound of earth indeed. Who knew what kind of secrets could hide inside such a hill? With the moon and stars shining down in the clear night sky of a countryside setting, the rangers began embarking up the hill.

At roughly the halfway point, the seven of them began to feel the fatigue from walking up the hill. Although subtle, the hill was rather steep and would take its toll on anyone due to the sheer height and effort needed to get to the top.

Ben panted as they kept going up the hill. "This is ridiculous. Who decided to put a tower up a big hill anyway?"

"Well there was a point where most of the plain below was flooded as far as people know, so maybe it was less of a treck." Aaron responded as they kept going, becoming more worn out the further they went.

"And you couldn't have just built an escalator to it?" Lexa groaned, but by now they had almost made it to the top of the mount.

"It's in the middle of the countryside, for one that'd just ruin the view and two it'd be too much trouble." He replied again as they finally reached the top. "Besides there's some benches inside the tower, rest up a bit while we look around" He finished, directing them to the stone benches inside St Michael's Tower. The tower was squarely shaped and made from old stone blocks of different shape. A nice view of the sky could be seen due to the lack of a roof inside and there were two entrances at either side of the tower. As the rangers looked around, or rested, Artemis noticed a faintly glowing symbol in the wall and approached it to recognise it as one of the druidic symbols in her grimoire of spells.

"Hey do you guys see this?" The Dryad ranger asked as she pointed at the wall. Even though she saw the symbol, the others couldn't, it was likely due her her magical affinity and their lack of it. The symbol itself seemed to be one that meant, or was at least closely meant, life. The young ranger approached it and placed her hand on the symbol.

As she did, the ground under their feet began to shake and The stone floor opened underneath them, sending all seven hurtling down a pitch black chasm, screaming out in surprise as they fell down into the abyss.

 **[Vast Forest]**

Her vision blurry for a moment, Lexa slowly arose from where she had landed, looking around she noticed that she was alone, her surroundings had changed and she now stood in a vast forest, the strangest part about the situation she was now in, her legendary bow was now present in her hand despite a lack of it being summoned.

"Hey, is anyone out there!?" The pink ranger called out, but to no avail, she was now alone and whatever awaited her in this place would prove a challenge for the ranger.

She looked around desperately before hearing the sound of branched being broken under a large foot. Turning around, her eyes widened in surprise as a huge bear reared up and let out a bellowing roar. Lexa recoiled in fear, but before anything else happened, the bear began running off further into the woods as a hunting horn sounded and a group of crossbow wielding huntsmen charged through the area on horses, shooting bolts with a green hue on their tips. The bear cried out in pain as one of the bolts hit and shortly after collapsed to the ground, being surrounded by the huntsmen.

Lexa looked over as they did so and a frustrated look came across her face. These huntsmen had just shot a bear with some sort of tranquilizer and were planning on finishing the job. That wasn't real hunting, that wasn't fair on the animal. Shaking any doubt from her mind the pink ranger ran over and pushed past the huntsmen, protecting the unconscious bear.

"Get outta here now! You should be ashamed of yourself, knocking a bear out and then coming to finish the job. That isn't fair on the animal. If you wanna try, you'll have to take me on!" She challenged, raising her bow and drawing it pointing it at the hunters around her.

The lead hunter smirked at her and pulled out some form of triangular stone key with a pink gem in the centre and handed it to her. "You protected something that couldn't protect itself from an injustice. Despite your apparent self serving nature, a part of you cares for others. A quality of a true hunter, you've been proven worthy of your weapon Lexa. Take this key, you've passed your trial." He informed her as she took the object in her hand and was shortly blinded by a bright light.

 **[Dark Battleground]**

Skies burned red as fallen warriors on both sides of the battle littered the battleground. Stirring from his slumber, the yellow ranger arose from the scorched earth and looked around to see the area around him.

"Is anyone here?" Tyson called out as he searched the abysmal area for any sign of his friends or another survivor. On the ground beside him was Mjolnir, the ranger looked down to find it there and attempted to pick it up, but was surprised to find that it wouldn't budge like when he first tried.

An unsettling laugh echoed through the region as Tyson turned to see that standing opposite him was Kronos, the Titan he had defeated not too long ago. "I told you, not even death can prevent me from taking my revenge." Kronos declared as he charged at the yellow ranger and slammed an open hand into his throat before pinning him to the ground by the neck. See that ranger? There's no stopping me now. You were a fool to take me on by yourself."

"I-I can't beat you. I n-need help. Guys, anyone, I can't do this alone." Tyson struggled to call out as he tried desperately to keep going. That's when the Titan seemed to release his grip until his hand wasn't on his opponent any more.

"Smart move ranger. Even for someone as strong as you, there are limits to what you can do without help. Without your weapon you were nothing, without others to count on you're just another human. Take this lesson to heart. Leave with your key." Kronos informed Tyson, handing him a similar stone key with a yellow gem in the centre of it.

 **[Castle Dungeon]**

Inside a dark dungeon, Ben slowly awoke to find himself tied to a chair with a familiar and malicious face standing over him, Reaper held his scythe to the neck of the black ranger.

"You're finally awake, good. Now black ranger, we managed to capture you all when you fell down that chasm. We have every last one of you, now tell us everything you know about the weapons, how you activate them, what you're searching for. Now!" The old villain demanded while holding the scythe tightly against the neck of the teen.

"Go ahead, hurt me all you want. I'm never going to tell you anything. You'll never find out how the weapons work, you'll never get you hands on them too. No matter what you do you can't make me tell you what you want to know. You're plans aren't ever going to succeed!" Ben exclaimed, defying the old man before him.

"Really? Your friends were all put into a magical sleep, believing that they are completing trials specific to them. But it is really just to keep them occupied while we break you and find out everything we need to know from you, the weakest link, so scared and afraid."

Despite this, the black ranger struggled against his restraints. "Screw you! I'll never tell you anything, no matter what you do. I might not be the best fighter, I might seem afraid, but as long as I keep strong at heart, there's nothing any of you can do."

Reaper pulled his scythe back and made a slicing motion in the direction of the black ranger. Ben closed his eyes tightly in anticipation of the attack but became surprised and opened his eyes again when he felt the bonds loosen.

"Even when faced with failure, you didn't give up. You aren't the strongest fighter, and you have difficulties when it comes to mustering the courage to step up, but in your heart, you won't waver and you'll keep fighting even when defeated. Take this key and return to your world. Soon enough this will all be clear." Reaper explained to him as he handed him a stone key with a black gem as its centre and a bright light washed out Ben's vision momentarily.

 **[High-tech Control Terminal]**

Percy shook his head as he awoke sat in the seat of a control room, the technology was sleek, but two large buttons were in front of a ranger with some form of AI on a screen in front of him speaking to him.

"Hello there user. Today you are presented with two options. Before continuing, I am required to inform you that there is a room of hostages. One of these buttons holds the key to their freedom, the other to yours. The left button frees them, the right button frees you. The button also ends the life of the party not chosen to live. Now decide who to choose. Yourself or these unknown hostages."

Percy looked between the buttons. "I guess there's only one option, I can't let anyone take my place. I choose them to survive." He decided, pressing down on the left button. Yet nothing happened.

"Interesting choice." The AI said to Percy whilst contemplating his action. "Both outcomes would have resulted in the same thing, nothing happening. As a concept you were willing to risk yourself to defend others you don't even know. Brave but possibly a foolish move, not knowing what kind of people you're saving. As it stands, you are classed as a selfless warrior. You've met the minimum requirements to pass. Well done." The AI explained before a stone key with a blue gem was produced from a slot in the machine and Percy was blinded by light that was the same as that the others had experienced.

 **[Tainted grove]**

Artemis stood dazed as she looked around a grove that appeared to have been tainted by dark magic that had resulted in all the life and vegetation becoming corrupted and gaining a dark purple tone.

She wielded Thyrsus and was stood opposing a dark wizard in black and red robes that was presumably responsible for the grove becoming tainted. Plant-like zombies stood either side of the wizard before charging forward and slamming into Artemis. As she got back up, she blasted away the creatures, only for more to be summoned. Each time she managed to defeat another wave sent after her by the dark wizard, she could feel herself getting weaker.

"I-I can't go on. I'm not strong enough to keep going, my magic, it keeps getting drained." She groaned as she leaned on her staff.

"Pathetic witch. I expected better from one with your power! Show me what's really there. Stop holding back already. Show me what a witch of the Morgana line is truly capable of. Stop holding back and unleash all your power already!" The dark wizard challenged, goading Artemis.

"If you want power, I'll give you power!" Artemis exclaimed as she charged up Thyrsus with all the energy that she could muster before firing it at the dark wizard.

The blast knocked the wizard off of his feet and destroyed the remaining plant zombies. Artemis walked over to the wizard and saw him smirk at her. "That's the kind of power you have in you, child. As you hone it, you mustn't be afraid of what you're capable of. Remember that, and take this key, good luck with your mission." He told her, imparting some wisdom on the young ranger. As with the others, the key was made of stone and contained a gem concise with her colour, green, like the others had.

 **[Vast field]**

Emlie stood in a vast green field that stretched to the horizon in every direction. As she looked to the ground she noticed all of her teammates were on the ground, they had sustained severe injuries and scorch marks and dirt were all over the other rangers bodies. The white ranger rushed over seeing that Aaron was in the worst shape as he coughed up blood.

He smiled, happy to see the white ranger, but it also appeared to be a mask for the amount of pain he was currently in. "H-Hey there. W-We failed. Abaddon came, ambushed us when we weren't ready. We've failed, nothing we can do makes a difference now, and we-I don't have long left."

Tears started forming in the eyes of the white ranger dripping down onto the grass as she tried to talk to him. "We can fix this. I can't lose any of you especially you. If we can just figure out a way."

Aaron smiled, although his health seemed to be fading rapidly. "It's okay, you can let go, if not for yourself, then for me. It's been a short time between us, but sometimes your loved ones don't last and you have to let go, even if that's not your choice. So can you do that?"

Although tears obscured her vision she gave a reluctant nod while crying over the fading ranger.

"Then take this, and don't look that sad when the real me gets back." he informed her, placing a stone key in her hand, this one having a white gem in the middle before a white light blinded her.

 **[Melee Arena]**

Aaron stood in classical knightly armour with a shiny longsword in his hand. A crowd of onlookers cheered in the medieval arena of the competition known as a melee. Where contestants would fight each other with blunt weapons. Before Aaron stood a black knight who wielded a deadly looking blade.

"There is no hope of you winning. You have already failed so many times now. You must accept defeat already or have no chance of returning to your world. Otherwise I'll make you know defeat." The black knight ordered,

Yet the young knight stood his ground and gritted his teeth, clenching the sword tightly. "I'm not going to give in, the answer is never that easy and you know it. But it's more than that, just giving into defeat makes you a coward, makes you unworthy of any responsibility you've been given."

Aaron charged forward and attacked the black knight with his sword, but was surprised when the black knight disarmed his opponent and knocked him to the ground before stepping on his chest and holding the blade to his neck.

"Do you understand now? There is no hope. This is defeat, a defeat that is ultimate. Do you accept it yet, that you can't win every battle, that you can't save everyone, stop every villain."

Aaron grunted in an aggressive tone. "No, I don't. If things seem hopeless with now way to win, you push aside your doubts, focus on what you can do as a single person and you get your friends to help you do what you can't. If there isn't any hope, you make that hope by standing for something. Because the moment you give in is the moment you lose whatever you've been fighting for." The ranger stated before using all the strength he could to force the black knight off of him and to the ground. Proceeding to punch the helmet of the black knight with his armoured gauntlets.

Soon enough the black knight held out his hands in surrender. "I yield! You have won brave knight. The purpose of this fight was to see if you would submit in the face of overwhelming defeat, but you held true to what you believe, and that is why I present you with the final key. Remember your values always and go to the others now, you are close to claiming what you have been searching for. Good luck in your quest." The black knight informed him, granting him a stone key that contained a red gemstone in the center before a bright light shone, blinding the ranger.

 **[The Tor]**

When the light subsided, each ranger found themselves back at the Tor, inside the tower. The ground appears to have never moved and as each ranger regained their vision, their eyes focused on another sight. The south pointing doorway of the tower seemed to have gone and now in its place appeared to be some form of portal that displayed some form of utopian island on the other side.

"I guess that's where we're supposed to go next." Aaron deduced as the rangers stood, each with a key in their hands, each of them gave a small nod before heading one by one through the portal to the island. The Templar ranger stopped for a second, looking back. "We'll be back soon." He said to himself before going into the portal.

Before it closed up however, a small unit of Thralls and General Fleruty charged into the portal, going after the seven rangers and what else might lie past the portal. "That will be later than you think, ranger." Fleruty said in response with a malicious grin upon his face as he stepped through the portal, just before it closed.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 41 everyone. So they are in England now, and I'm sorry for the over emphasised remarks made by Aaron about the place, it was too fun of an opportunity to pass up. A few of them were actually my views on England, but again, over emphasised for comedic effect.**

 **Each of them were presented with a trial in whatever place they were sent to, either to try and teach them something or to see what's in their heart to see if they were worthy of the key and the aspect linked to it, which would take too much time to go over. I'd also just like to point out something, the family that is lending the rangers a place to stay is actually from another one of Sir Perfluous' work, the Gremory Family from Hibernian Knights. I left the timeline open too till we have that decided upon and so things are less restrictive.**

 **I chose the Glastonbury Tor as the location for this whole thing to happen for two reasons. One, I've actually been there when visiting family so it's somewhere I can describe well and two is because it is one of many sites theorised to be the burial place of King Arthur, otherwise known as the Isle of Avalon, and I think you'll get why I chose this spot as a gateway to an island with the title to the next chapter. So with only four chapters left on this act, the countdown begins in full. Thanks for reading everyone.**

 **Next Chapter: Isle of Avalon**

 **Synopsis: After facing a trial each, the rangers have opened the gateway to the Isle of Avalon, the fabled burial place of King Arthur, sealed away in a realm of its own for so long. Now closer than ever to finding Excalibur, the rangers are separated by a surprise attack from the demons. Leaving two rangers to find the weapon while the others fight off Fleruty and his Demon soldiers. Will they be able to take the weapon in time or will it fall into the hands of the Demon General? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	43. Chapter 42: Isle of Avalon

Ch42: Isle of Avalon

One by one, the seven rangers emerged from the other side of the gateway. Taking the time to rest after the different trials they had faced previously, the looked around the area, seeing just what the location straight from legend truly looked like. Yet to their disappointment, the island itself was just grassland situated on a never ending sea with no other land in sight, the only landmark in Avalon appeared to be a stone structure in the centre of the island. It was accessible by a set of wooden double doors, but what would be inside was a mystery. Judging by all it had taken to get this far however, the sword wouldn't be just behind that door.

"Alright, we made it this far. There's bound to be a few more surprises down there. Someone should take all of the keys, just in case something happens." Aaron suggested as they all pulled out the stone keys with the different coloured gems lodged inside them.

Artemis spoke up. "I'll do it. With my magic I've got the best chance of getting there." The others nodded in agreement with her decision.

"Good, we should get moving then." Aaron responded as the rangers got ready to move onto the stone structure on the grassland island.

As they began the short trek to their next destination, they heard monstrous snarling behind them growing in number before a malevolent laugh came from behind them. Turning, the seven saw that Fleruty now stood on the island with a large force of Thralls backing the demon general.

"We meet again rangers, and for the last time." He grinned, pointing his sharp and large blade at the group.

"What do you want?" Percy asked as the rangers tensed up.

"The same thing you want, the holy sword on this island. Excalibur." Fleruty elaborated, revealing to the rangers what their quest here was for.

Aaron was about to say something when the five core rangers stepped forward, after a moment he understood. Opening the door, he and Artemis fled into the structure while the Mythos rangers faced down the general and his cohort.

"We're not letting you get that weapon Fleruty!" Emlie called out, causing the demon to grit his teeth.

"So be it." He finished, before signalling his Thralls to charge at the five rangers.

"Mythos Ignite!" The five rangers called out after drawing their morphers, and summoning their legendary weapons to battle against the demons and their general.

 **[Ancient Tomb]**

Within the stone structure was worn staircase that descended below the surface of the island. With no other option, the two siblings descended into the depths of Avalon.

Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, the two rangers looked ahead to see a large stone tunnel that opened up into a circular chamber. Torches along the walls lit the path the two rangers were to take.

As they began walking down the tunnel, Artemis turned her head to speak to Aaron. "You were gonna stay and fight weren't you. What changed your mind? It's not like you to change your mind like that."

"The first time I faced Fleruty, I'd just defeated Abaddon and sent him running, I guess I got a big head about it back then and thought a demon general would be easy if I could take on a demon prince. He shattered my sword in our fight and wiped me out, even when I used the Paladin Steel ability I had in my amulet at the time. Now you guys all have legendary weapons and are ready to face the tough demons like him and I just feel like I've gotten nowhere since then. Let's just find what we're after, maybe it can stop Abaddon and his plans for good." Aaron explained with a sigh as they carried on down the tunnel until they reached the large circular chamber.

A figure was revealed as lights around the chamber flickered to life, from behind the first figure stepped out more. Each of them seemed to wear finely crafted Knight armour with helmets concealing their faces, Yet a long red cape came down from each of the Knight's shoulders, embroidered with the crest of a golden dragon.

When each of these Knights had finally revealed their presence, their numbers stood at twelve, they had quickly encircled the two rangers before the knight that had been opposite the rangers initially spoke up.

"You seek entrance to the weapon here, correct?" The speaker for the Knights deduced, to which Aaron nodded in confirmation. "What is your motivation, young Knight?" The speaker asked in succession, causing the Templar ranger to pause and think what the best answer would be.

"There's a demon prince loose, Abaddon. He's trying to get his hands on all of the legendary weapons he can. We don't know why he wants them, but we're here to take Excalibur so it can't fall into his hands." He answered, the speaker tilted his helmeted head for a moment.

"But what if you're not strong enough to hold onto the weapon? What if this Abaddon takes Excalibur and the other weapons and his plan succeeds? We can't allow you to pass if you will fail" The speaker suggested, after those words, Aaron drew the Templar morpher before speaking up again.

"Then I'll-No, we'll prove it. If you can't take us on then Abaddon surely can't!" Aaron exclaimed in a challenge as Artemis also drew her morpher.

The speaker Knight chuckled for a second as the twelve knights drew their longswords that reflected the fires from the torches on the wall. "Good, I believed you to be smart about this. Then face us in combat. The Knight and the Sorceress versus the Knights of the Round Table, guardians of Excalibur, a trial of both old and new" The speaker announced, revealing the twelve Knights to be that of the Round Table from Arthurian legend.

Drawing a cross of energy. Aaron yelled morphing quickly to fight the Knights. "Templar Power, Activate!" As he did so, artemis held out the small magic box that contained the Dryad ranger powers and braced herself for the coming fight. "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" She called out, using the activation phrase of the morpher. After a brief flash, both rangers were ready to combat the twelve Knights that surrounded them.

 **[Isle of Avalon]**

Out on the plains of the island, a battle between the other rangers and demons. From afar, Lexa used her bow to provide support to the other rangers and keep back the majority of the Thrall forces while the others wore the enemy down with their weapons.

Raising his hammer to the sky, Tyson called down a stream of lightning that empowered his hammer further before the yellow ranger charged into a line of the Thralls and striking them all with a surge of electricity that shot from the hammer on contact.

Ben was surrounded by Thralls, with the demon slaying great axe Parashu however, the black ranger didn't see his foes as much of a threat. Swinging it in a powerful arc, Ben managed to decimate a line of Thralls directly in front of him, prompting remaining forces attacking the black ranger to stand back in future.

Charging in, Percy fired out a powerful jet of water from his trident, taking down a small group of Thralls that had been preparing to attack Tyson from the left. Jogging up, Percy looked at his friend and teammate, smirking under his helmet. "Hey, Ty. How about we combine our powers, deal some real damage." The blue ranger suggested.

Tyson laughed, knowing what his friend had in mind. "Let's do it." He confirmed, prompting Percy to conjure a large sphere of water that rested on the tip of his trident.

Channelling his elemental power into Mjolnir, Tyson fired off the charge of the weapon into the sphere of water, electrifying it. Focusing the attack more, the blue ranger forced out as much elemental energy as he could muster and sustain in that form, growing the electrified sphere in size. When the attack finally began to become unstable, Percy tossed the sphere of water as hard as he could into a cluster of Thralls, knocking them down with a heavy hit and thanks to Tyson's contribution, caused them to surge with electricity before burning up. The two rangers exchanged a high five before continuing the fight.

As the other four rangers kept the Thrall footsoldiers busy, it was up to Emlie to stall Fleruty while Aaron and Artemis claim Excalibur. While fighting against Abaddon's strongest demon, a warrior arguably stronger than his master, the white ranger was managing to hold her own. Yet that may have just been because of the ability her spear gave its user. Lunging forward with Brionac, Emlie managed to graze the armoured shoulder of the demon general as he turned to dodge her attack. Grinning with malicious intent, Fleruty grabbed a hold of the legendary spear with his free hand and used his greater strength to throw Emlie off of the staff. Discarding it to the side, Fleruty proceeded to slam the hilt of his barbarous blade into the helmet of the white ranger, knocking her to the ground and out of her ranger form.

Fleruty then smirked. "One down, four to go." He said, marching forward to take care of the other rangers who were already occupied with thralls. Fighting him too, they would be easy prey for the general.

 **[Ancient Tomb]**

The sounds of steel clashing against steel filled the chamber as Aaron and Artemis fought against the twelve Knights in a trial by combat before they could reach the sword.

Aaron thrust his blade at one of the Knights, only for his opponent to parry the blade away. Despite his experience, the Templar ranger was facing up against master swordsmen who have had the proper training, unlike him. The fight would be a lot tougher, though if they could use some magic and elemental power against the Knights, they might just manage to defeat the Knights. Igniting his blade with a brilliant stream of fire, Aaron charged straight at four Knights directly in front of him, his blade making contact with theirs. Due to the sheer heat damage that the ignited blade could give off when making contact with anything, the ignited blade seemed to cut straight through the four Knights' blades as if it melted right through. Withdrawing his blade, the end halves of their swords clattered to the ground and the four knights, now incapable of fighting, knelt before the Templar ranger recognising his victory over them. Yet the fight was far from over with eight of the knights remaining.

Taking a moment, Aaron called out to his sister, explaining how they can pass the trail. "Artemis, don't hold anything back. I think that's what they want us to understand. We need to use everything we can and incapacitate them!" He explained before another two knights attacked him, the ranger just managing to block their weapons before they hit.

Artemis thought on for a moment, trying to remember a spell she had learned from her grimoire just before they came to England. "I think I've got it!" She exclaimed as she forced her staff forward, pushing away the swords that were restricting her from casting anything. Jumping back, she gave Thyrsus a twirl before raising the staff to the air. The weapon flashed green for a moment before the ground under the Knights cracked and strong vines rose from the cracks, wrapping themselves around the four opponent's weapons and shattering them into two. The four opponents stood there startled for a moment before kneeling to the victor.

Aaron knocked the two knights away before running backwards to regroup with his sister. "Nice going, only four to go. I doubt the others can hold on much longer, so let's finish it now." He suggested, creating a ball of fire in his hand from his elemental energy. As he did so, Artemis nodded, calling upon her remaining mana to channel an energy bolt, which they last time she did, it didn't end well.

"Here goes nothing." She said in a low voice as the remaining four Knights advanced. Aaron and Artemis were about to fire out their elemental attacks, yet as the Knights came closer, the speaker for the twelve raised his fist, signalling for the to stop.

"Halt your attacks. We've seen enough. You realised that it would take more than normal attacks to defeat an enemy like us. Intuition is what we truly wanted to see here. But to know that neither of you would hold back if you had to. You've proven enough to us." The speaker said to them, pausing as the twelve Knights encircled them once more. "You may carry on, the weapon is closer than ever now. Good luck to you both, Knight and Sorceress." The speaker Knight finished, as he did so, the torches around the room became dark, obscuring the rangers vision for a second before flickering back on. When they did however, all of the Knights had vanished without a trace.

The two rangers looked around, but the Knights had indeed vanished. Yet a new tunnel had opened itself for the rangers to continue their journey. After a moment, the two continued down the path before them. Though the trial had been passed, it wasn't certain how long it would take to reach Excalibur, or how long their teammates could hold out. With time ticking, the two broke into a sprint heading down the tunnel to whatever lie ahead as quickly as possible.

 **[The Two Doorways]**

After finally reaching the end of the hall, the two rangers came to what appeared to be another trial. Before them were two dark and aged wooden doors, there was nothing notable about them at all and just appeared to be there as access points.

Now facing them however were two knights, as the rangers approached, the knight on the left spoke up. "Two doorways are present to you. One will lead to that which you seek. The other leads to death." He explained to them.

The other Knight then continued. "We know which path is which, and you may ask one of us one question to determine which door leads to the sword."

"But be warned, when asked, one of us will always tell the truth, while the other will always lie." The first Knight expanded.

While the two rangers thought upon it, the information the two Knights had given triggered a memory for the Templar ranger. 'I've heard this before, I can't remember where, but- Wait I think I remember now. Here goes nothing.' Aaron thought to himself before turning to face the first knight. "If I asked the other Knight which doorway leads to Excalibur, which one would he point to?" Aaron asked, the Knight pointed to the door on the right. "Artemis, we're going left." He added heading to the left doorway and opening it.

Artemis was slightly afraid since he had chosen the opposite door. But when Aaron opened it, the doorway led down another tunnel with a large wooden door at the end.

As a final comment, the Knights turned to the two departing rangers. "Well done, the door that leads to Excalibur lies ahead. Go now and claim the weapon." They said, before they too vanished before the two rangers.

Artemis looked at her brother. "How did you know to choose the right door?" She asked, wondering how choosing the opposite door worked.

"If the Knight I asked the question told the truth, then asking him that, he would've pointed to the door the liar would have if I asked which door was right, that door leading to death. Meaning this would've been the right door in that case. If I asked the question to the liar, he would have pointed to the opposite door to what the truthful knight would have if I asked him which was the right door. Meaning the door he'd point to was the wrong one. In both cases, we have to take the door opposite to what they'd point to." He explained.

"Yeah, I don't think I could follow that." Artemis replied with a blank face, causing her brother to smirk at her airheadedness.

Soon enough they reached the great doorway and entered into the final chamber of the sanctum. The room was lit softly and gave a golden tint to the room, thought no light source was present. Around the walls were armour stands that appeared to display the armour of each Knight with a sword in front of it. One in particular caught Aaron's eye as he came closer. A slightly darker steel longsword with the words 'Arondight' engraved into the blade and another name embedded in the hilt 'Lancelot' Though he felt drawn to it, it would have to wait until they had secured Excalibur itself before claiming the blade of his ancestor too.

Walking over to the centre of the final chamber a small stone lay dead centre in the room, dug into it was the silvery blade and adorned golden hilt, engraved with a language long forgotten by humans. As both Aaron and Artemis came closer, they were startled by a rather sinister voice calling out to them from whence they had came.

"Rangers! I believe I have something of yours." Called out the voice of the demon general Fleruty. It appeared as if their teammates hadn't been able to fight Fleruty for long and were now captives of the general. A group of Thralls carried the legendary weapons while some of the other minions held the five rangers hostage.

The two free rangers tensed up to see the general and their captive friends. "Let them go Fleruty, now. I'm ready to take Excalibur, and I'm not afraid to use it." Aaron threatened, to which Fleruty laughed.

"I am a general of the demon army, I'm not afraid of a human like you, a human that cares too much. I planned for your resistance, why do you think I brought your friends along." He grinned maniacally as he pulled a jagged stained knife. "Here's how things will go. You will pull Excalibur from the stone, something I find rather cliché, and then you'll hand it to me. Otherwise I'll take my dagger to your friends. One by one. Maybe I'll start with the blue ranger." He said holding the knife to Percy's throat for a moment before pulling it away. "No, I know who you care about the most. If you refuse, she dies." Fleruty declared, pulling Emlie out of the clutches of the Thrall holding her and pinning the dagger against her neck whilst walking closer.

Aaron placed his hand on the grip of Excalibur, ready to draw the weapon, gripping it tight, the ranger stopped for a moment, in some form of inner conflict.

"What will it be ranger? Will you hold onto your principles and lose everyone here? Or will your heart take priority? Think quickly, the clock is ticking." Fleruty asked, grinning is sadistic pleasure as the Templar ranger struggled to decide between what was right and what was necessary...

 **|Mythos|**

 **That is Chapter 42, Things are getting exciting now, and I was going to include what happens leading into the next chapter, but I liked the cliffhanger just for the sense of danger it has there and not knowing what's going to happen next.**

 **We had a guest appearance from the ghosts of the knights of the round table, they were indeed spirit guardians and the same thing with the two guards at the door. I liked the 'Two Guards, Two Doors' riddle quite a lot because it's something hard to get your head around and I thought it would've been a great last trial for them to get past. But now things are really serious and I think you'll all like what I've got in store for the rangers next chapter, which I'll get out tomorrow or the day after. So until then and thanks for reading everyone!**

 **Next Chapter: The Last Battle of Camlann**

 **Synopsis: With one ranger now having to make a tough decision, will he give Fleruty what he wants and bring Abaddon one step closer to his final goal? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	44. Chapter 43: The Last Battle of Camlann

Ch43: The Last Battle of Camlann

The seven rangers stood in the chamber holding Excalibur. Fleruty and his demons were now holding five of them hostage in a bid to retrieve the sword in the stone, the only thing they needed now was for to Aaron to draw the weapon out.

To this end, the demon general now held a jagged dagger to the white ranger's throat in an attempt exploit the ranger. Aaron was struggling to decide what to do, on one hand, if he let Fleruty take Excalibur, everything's over, but if he refuses. Neither option was good, but when the Templar ranger looked into the fearful eyes of Emlie, he stopped thinking, deciding exactly what he was going to do.

Taking a breath in, Aaron nodded at the demon in front of him. "Alright, I'll do it, just stay away from them." He said, his voice sounding defeated. The other rangers looked at him, they'd never seen him give up before, it was like he actually believed for once that there was no hope of winning.

Gripping the hilt of the sword tightly, He pulled it forcefully, yet the blade appeared to snag against the rock, and again and again. After three attempts the sword hadn't moved an inch.

"What is this? That weapon is meant for you, your amulet is linked to it. This makes no sense!" Fleruty shouted out in a burst of anger and impatience. Releasing Emlie and handing her back to a Thrall guard, the demonic general stomped over to where the ranger and sword were. "What are you playing at? Pull the sword out already!" He demanded.

"If you want it so badly. Fine!" Aaron exclaimed as he swiftly drew the sword out from the stone and cut diagonally down Fleruty's face, causing him to bleed heavily as the enchanted steel burned his flesh on contact.

Letting out an agonising roar, the demon general stuck back at Aaron, knocking the wind out of the ranger and sending him to the ground. In addition, Excalibur clattered down on the hard stone floor too. While Aaron tried to reach for the weapon, the wounded general stood on his hand and reached down to take it. Artemis aimed her staff at the general, but gradually lowered it when the Thralls threatened the other rangers.

Fleruty finally rose up, the holy sword Excalibur in his hand, the other shielding his wounded face. "Just for that, you can stay here and rot, mortal." He snarled, giving Aaron a heavy kick to the ribs before turning and heading back for the surface. "Dump the other rangers here, let them stand by helplessly as we take back the earth." Fleruty ordered, wincing in pain from his fresh wound as he left, the Thralls tossing the other rangers to the ground before following their leader.

As the other rangers recovered from the ordeal, Percy helped Aaron to his feet. Though Fleruty had been wounded, they were now without any of the weapons and defeat looked to be certain. While they tried to figure out a plan, the Templar ranger walked up to Emlie.

"Hey, I just wanted to see if you were okay." He said before the white ranger turned around quickly, hugging him tightly. Smiling, he returned the long hug.

Clearing her throat, Artemis spoke up, getting the attention of the rangers. "I know the world might be ending and all soon but can you two cut out all the sappy stuff till we've fixed this. I still have the keys, so we can get back too, on top of that, the stupid demon forgot to take my staff too." She reminded the others, waving the staff in the air, whilst interrupting the two's embrace and causing them to part awkwardly.

"Question is how do we even stand a chance against him though? He's probably got the most powerful sword ever forged, our usual weapons will likely break on contact, even with elemental power." Ben asked with a cynical tone, though he wasn't the only one who had just about given up.

As the black ranger finished his sentence, Tyson, who was stood by one of the Knight's armour stands, leaned to the side, not noticing until it was too late. With a clatter, the yellow ranger fell sideways into the armour knocking it over. The others span around to look at him, rather annoyed he would be so careless before the others came over, helping him place the armour back on it's stand. As they did, a small note flew to the ground.

From where he was stood, the letter caught the attention of the Templar ranger, who proceeded to retrieve it and read what was on it. "If you're reading this, then the enemy has Excalibur. I have enchanted your sword to be a counter to the power of the blade, though it may not be enough. Hopefully it is never needed and you don't read this. Good luck." Aaron read, before looking to who it was addressed to. 'Lancelot' the sword he had initially seen wasn't just the weapon of his ancestor, but one that could be used to counter the magics of the holy sword Excalibur.

The others walked over to him, wondering what exactly was going on. "Hey, is everything alright?" Lexa asked, to which he nodded.

"I think we might have a way to stop Fleruty before he can reach Abaddon." He smirked, glancing over at the sword Arondight with a sense of newfound hope.

 **[Somerset Countryside]**

Fleruty stood atop a mound of earth while around him stood a larger force of Thralls than that he had brought through to Avalon. A group of five of the minions stood behind their general, each of them holding the other captured legendary weapons.

"Fellow demons, we are so close to victory now! Having taken all of the weapons we need and leaving our enemies trapped and unable to do a thing, we are ready to take the earth for ourselves! Here on this ancient battleground, we shall finally wage our war against all humans!" Fleruty roared, pumping up his demonic footsoldiers for their first fight against the rest of the world.

Before the demon general could say anything more, A defiant voice called out from behind him. Turning, the general became furious upon seeing who now opposed him. Walking side by side, the seven rangers stood strong before coming to a halt just before the group of demons with the majority of the legendary weapons.

"Looks like you forgot about one of our weapons!" Artemis called out as she revealed her staff Thyrsus, enraging the injured general more.

"And that's the last mistake you're gonna make!" Emlie continued as the seven of them drew their morphers.

"We're gonna stop you, here and now before you can get back to Abaddon. Today, you're gonna be the one to lose!" Aaron declared as they raised their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" The five Mythos rangers called out, morphing in a wave of colour. "Templar Power, Activate!" Aaron called out, drawing the cross of red energy before morphing into his Knightly ranger suit. "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" Artemis exclaimed, being enveloped by a stream of leaves that dispersed quickly, leaving her fully morphed.

"Why can't you just give up already? This is my victory!" Fleruty screamed at them as he prepared to lead his troops against the rangers.

"We never give up. Even if it seems like it, there's always something else that we can do to stop villains like you. We're the Power Rangers and ending tyranny is why we're here. Ready everyone?" Aaron asked to which the others nodded, drawing their blades, Artemis readying her staff.

"Element of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called out.

"Element of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Tyson yelled loudly to the sky.

"Element of Babylon! Mythos Pink!" Lexa said as she gave a pose.

"Element of Astral! Mythos Black!" Ben declared, twirling his blade in his hand.

"Element of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie exclaimed, tapping her shoulder with her blade.

"Element of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron said, levelling his blade at Fleruty and his demon footsoldiers.

"Warrior of Nature! Dryad Ranger!" Artemis closed off their roll call, holding her staff high as trace magic was channeled through it.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" The seven of them called out, cutting the air with their blades as Artemis span her staff around before thrusting the end into the ground.

Growling, Fleruty pointed at the rangers. "Get them already!" He ordered, prompting the Thralls to charge in at the rangers.

Tyson gave a sharp whistle as he held his hand out. "Come on Mjolnir!" He called out to the hammer being held by one of the Thrall demons. Shooting forward, the legendary hammer dragged the demon across the ground as it flew into Tyson's hand. From there, the yellow ranger kicked the face of the Thrall before dispatching it with his hammer.

As the majority of the demon cohort clashed with the rangers, Ben flipped over a group charging straight for him, landing in front of the demon that held Parashu. The Thrall swung the axe from the side, the black ranger narrowly avoiding it by rolling under the sweeping arc of the weapon. While he was near the ground, Ben punched into it, sending a small part of his elemental energy through his arm and into the ground. This manifested as stone that grew up the Thrall's legs to its neck, completely immobilising the monster. Standing up, Ben removed his axe from the petrified demon's clutches before smashing it to pieces and then jumping into the fray of enemies to wear down the enemy army.

As the yellow and Black rangers began fighting off the demons, keeping them occupied while the other retrieved their weapons, Lexa leapt over the Thralls carrying Percy and Emlie's weapons, distracting them for a moment while the blue and white rangers got into position. As they did, the pink ranger gave a swift kick to the Thrall with her bow, before taking it from it's hands and drawing the bow, firing off an arrow of pink energy into the Thrall, destroying it.

Delivering simultaneous punches, the two Thralls carrying the final two weapons were knocked down where Emlie called upon her Elemental energy to generate blinding light around her blade, stunning the two Thralls for a moment. From there, the blue ranger formed a high pressured veil of water around his blade, proceeding to cut through and destroy both of the Thralls. Now with all of their weapons back in their possession, the rangers began to destroy Fleruty's assembled army.

As they did so, Aaron drew Arondight alongside his usual blade, dual wielding the two blades as he charged directly at Fleruty. The demonic general smirked as he held up the legendary blade, forcing it against Arondight, expecting the enchanted weapon to shatter on impact. His eyes widened when it was repelled by the other sword, sending excalibur flying out of Fleruty's hand and stabbing down into the ground.

From where the other rangers were, Ben Swiped heavily with Parashu, wiping out a platoon with his axe, Tyson called upon a lightning charge, shooting it out into the Thralls in front of him, paralyzing them. Taking the advantage, Percy generated a powerful typhoon from his trident, sending it out, the strong jets of water washed the Thralls away.

Emlie turned her head to Lexa. "Hey, how about we give this power combining thing a shot?" She suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" Lexa agreed in an enthusiastic manner. Drawing her bow, she fired out an arrow formed of pink energy.

Throwing her spear like a javelin, the weapon connected with the arrow made of energy and seemed to split the attack and cause it to multiply into a thousand arrows type attack, pelting a large amount of the Thralls with a multitude of the arrows, destroying them all quickly.

From where she was, Artemis levelled her staff at the final few Thralls that remained. As she began to cast an energy bolt from the end of her magical weapon, she infused some of her elemental energy, boosting the power of the spell. Firing it out, the ranger was knocked back from the force it gave off. Slamming into the Thralls, they were burned up in a green ball of fiery energy.

As the six of them regrouped, they ran up to see Aaron fighting off Fleruty. The demon general had managed to take Aaron's standard blade and was using it against him, using brute force to keep the ranger from taking Excalibur. Yet the issue now was that Fleruty was alone, while Aaron wasn't. Charging in, the rangers attacked the demon with their individual weapons, distracting him. He was stronger than them and they knew that since the last time they faced him in Avalon, but this was just about buying time for Aaron to retrieve Excalibur.

Sheathing his weapon, Aaron sprinted over and drew Excalibur from the ground before turning to face Fleruty. "Fleruty, I think you just failed!" Aaron called out as the rangers doubled back to him. The general's eyes widened when he saw the Templar ranger wielding Excalibur.

"NO, IMPOSSIBLE!" He let out in disbelief that mere mortals could outsmart him to take the weapon he couldn't let them get their hands on.

"And now it's time to-" Aaron started, but cut off as a bright light shone from Excalibur, encompassing the seven rangers. The light burst away quickly revealing the rangers to have gained some form of armour from Excalibur.

Each of the rangers seemed to now have a shining silver chestplate over their usual suit that stopped at the top of the stomach. On their forearms appeared to be some form of silver ovular shoulderplates that were cut off at the top. In addition to this, the rangers also seemed to have thigh and shin guards that also glimmered with their silvery texture. On their helmets, a small silver frame outlined their visors. Each piece of the additional silver armour that the rangers now wore had intricate carvings forming the trimming of the new armour set. Finally, carved into the center of each of their armour was a small icon of their weapon with their individual element surrounding it.

"You've unlocked the Legend's Aegis. Lord Abaddon won't be pleased. But I won't fail here today rangers. I'll take you all down if I have to!" Fleruty screamed as he charged in with Aaron's standard, blade, attacking the seven of them. Their armour now provided superior protection against the blows of the demon and the rangers could hold their own a lot more against the general.

"If this is a new power up, I don't think he's gonna last much longer." Lexa commented as Fleruty charged head on, targeting the blue ranger first.

Slashing at Percy, the blue ranger managed to dodge it before coming around and prodding Fleruty with a water infused attack, knocking him further away from the group.

From here, Ben swung his axe around, Fleruty tried to block the weapon with his arm, but due to a lapse in judgment, the demon didn't realise the weapon's capabilities till it was too late. Letting out a scream, Fleruty looked at his arm as a large part of it was cut clean off by the black ranger.

Not giving any time to recover, Tyson called down a lightning strike that charged his hammer, throwing Mjolnir out, the weapon discharged into Fleruty, paralysing the demon momentarily.

From there, Artemis channelled her magical connection to nature, summoning strong vines out from the ground that managed to immobilise their opponent. No matter how much he tried, he was now trapped.

Charging up a powerful shot, Lexa fired it into the air, from there, Emlie proceeded to repeat the combine attack that they had performed only a few minutes ago, firing off a light empowered Brionac into the sky, where it connected with the high powered arrow, splitting it into many more that then flew down from the sky, piercing Fleruty's damaged body. As Fleruty let out another agonised scream, the rangers formed up again.

Aaron began to advance, igniting the holy sword Excalibur with some of his own elemental energy before levelling it at the chest of their enemy. Fleruty's armour was scorched, holes pierced through it by arrows, the general missing most of an arm and a large scar running down his face from the holy sword. He was mortally wounded and hardly able to stand now.

"I told you didn't I? You guys don't get that good will always triumph over evil that we'll never give up or back down, no matter how tough it might get. Tell us what Abaddon's planning now." Aaron demanded as he held up the flaming legendary blade.

Fleruty chuckled maniacally. "You'll find out soon enough rangers." He said as he thrust forward, using as much strength as he could muster, attempting to attack Aaron with the blade he still wielded.

Swiftly dodging the attack, the Templar ranger thrust the ignited Excalibur through Fleruty's chest, igniting the demon general in a blaze of elemental fire.

Just before their enemy turned to ash, another evil chuckle came from him. "Be prepared rangers, soon you'll see the true power of the crimson demons."

"Myth Busted." Aaron confirmed as the ashes fell to the ground and he sheathed his new weapon.

Demorphing the other rangers gave a cheer, and soon enough Aaron joined in. Percy gave a sigh of relief that the final battle was over. "Phew, finally. Now that he's done for and we have all the weapons, all that's left is to take on Abaddon right?"

"Percy, let's leave that for future us to worry about. I think we've earned a break for now." Lexa replied, patting the blue ranger on the shoulder.

"It's a shame we haven't been able to actually vacation in England though. It feels like all we've done this summer is work." Emlie sighed, sounding rather tired.

Aaron smirked. "It's fine guys, we've still got a few more days here before we have to head back. So who's ready for some summer fun in England!?" He asked, rather cheery now. The others gave a cheer as they began to head off. As they did so, the sound of thunder in the cloudy sky gave way to a light drizzle of rain. Aaron gave a sigh. "Of course, typical." He said as they headed off back to the estate they were staying at.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And chapter 43 comes to a close. Though they lost almost all the weapons, Artemis took a little intuition for once and they managed to take back all the weapons and save the day, along with getting some pretty sweet armour dubbed the Legend's Aegis, their team power up if you will. Fleruty got destroyed by the rangers, likely due to his anger getting in the way of the tactical mind he has been known for, and I was torn between whether or not to do a Megazord fight. I decided against it because it might have taken the spotlight away from that new armour of theirs.**

 **I'll just add here that the title refers to the battleground King Arthur fell on and that the battle against Fleruty takes place on the site, although I didn't directly say so in the story, I thought it would be fitting for a battle involving Excalibur.**

 **With all seven weapons in their possession, it's only a matter of time before Abaddon comes knocking as we get into the two part finale of Act 2. The first part coming in a day or two depending on how things go. So thank you all for reading this far and I hope you all stick around for Act 3 which is coming soon. With that said, I'll see you all later.**

 **Next Chapter: A Knight's Duty: Part 1**

 **Synopsis: Fleruty has been defeated. With Excalibur claimed, the rangers have unlocked the true potential of all the weapons, now able to don the Legend's Aegis armour, able to resist many attacks from unnatural sources. Back in Castelan, the rangers now know that Abaddon will strike soon. But will they be prepared for what is to come? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	45. Chapter 44: A Knight's Duty: Part 1

Ch44: A Knight's Duty: Part 1

A new day dawned on the town of Castelan as the sun rose above the horizon casting an orange glow over the region. As it peered through the window gaps in the stronghold of the demon army, Reaper entered the throne room where the demon Prince Abaddon sat upon the obsidian throne.

Kneeling before his master, the old man bowed his head respectfully. "My lord, the rangers have returned, they have all of the legendary weapons. There's been no word from Fleruty either."

"I already know. I've been watchful of Fleruty's actions for quite a while now. Just in case he betrayed me. Instead he failed, and he got what he deserved for his failure. Enough about that, the pieces have fallen into place, I have what I need here for the ritual. All that is left is to take the weapons from the rangers." Abaddon explained to the last of his trusted underlings.

"Ritual, my lord?" Reaper asked, not knowing the plans of the demon prince after taking the weapons.

Abaddon gave a sigh as he rose from his throne and began pacing slowly at the foot of his seat of power. "It's time to tell you the truth, show you my endgame. What I have gathered in the other realms at times are vital components to construct the ritual area. The seven weapons are the final pieces I need if the ritual is to be complete. Everything else was a means to an end. Each of them holds an extreme amount of power, combine it all and it is power to rival a god. With the right channelling of this power, one can become the greatest being on this rock. Indeed, one can become, a god. Perhaps even something greater." Abaddon explained, giving a malicious grin to the subordinate before him.

 **[Castelan Park]**

After the events of the ranger's last fight, finally vanquishing their greatest adversary to date, they had enjoyed some downtime in england for the remainder of their time there. Finally returning to Castelan, they were enjoying the last two weeks before they had to return to school for yet another year. At the moment, they were gathered in the park, just finishing up a game of frisbee.

As Percy caught the frisbee, the seven of them came in from where they had been standing during the game. While a few of them looked somewhat exhausted, the rangers all looked to be having fun. While Abaddon hadn't attacked for a few days, something was definitely brewing, so it was best to enjoy as much time with each other as they could, in case what was to come would be their last fight, one way or another.

"I think I put on a sweat from that." Percy said as they reconvened.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, look at Artemis." Tyson replied, nodding over to the Dryad ranger, who looked rather exhausted.

"I, don't, really, do, exercise." The younger ranger panted, trying to regain her breath.

"It's okay, lunch is just around the corner so I think we better take a rest for now and find some place to eat." Aaron informed them, prompting to others to try and decide where they were going to eat.

As they heard terrified cries call out from one of the nearby streets, the seven of them turned around to see an advancing force of Thralls, in addition were more demons of the same breed, yet they appeared to wear heavier armour, that covered their entire bodies in the dark jagged armour, than the standard Thralls would. There appeared to be three of them in all leading the much larger force than the rangers were used to facing.

"I think we're gonna have to put lunch on hold for now." Ben commented as they drew their morphers, ready to fight the coming force.

"They're gonna pay for that." Lexa remarked, shaking her fist at the marching horde of demons.

"Stay focused everyone. Abaddon's after something here, and I think he's being serious here." Aaron told them as they each held their morphers out.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" The seven of them called morphing in a flash of colour, when it died down, each of them now wielded their legendary weapons and stood in formation, now fully morphed.

Vaulting over the low stone walls of the park, the rangers met the force of demons head on. Tearing into the front line with Parashu and Mjolnir, Ben and Tyson began wearing down the battalion of demons with their heavy weapons.

At the rear, Lexa fired off arrows to cull the amount of attacking Thralls to keep the others from losing control of the situation and being overwhelmed. Beside her stood Artemis. The Dryad ranger planted her staff into the ground, casting a spell around the area the area the rangers were currently stood in. When it expanded and made contact with the other rangers, they each felt a boost of energy which appeared to be the effect of the spell.

As the yellow and black rangers kept wearing down the enemy troops, Aaron, Percy and Emlie were engaging the three dreadnaught armoured Thralls, but due to the thickness of their armour, their weapons weren't as effective as they usually were. Despite the many Thralls that had already fallen today, Tyson and Ben were becoming quickly exhausted.

Giving a huff, the two rangers jumped back from the large force of minions assembled. "Hey, you think we could get a power boost yet?"Tyson called over as Aaron deflected a blow from one of the dreadnaughts.

Giving a swift kick to his opponent and nodding, the Templar ranger retreated back momentarily, raising Excalibur into the air where it began to shine with immense light. "Legend's Aegis!" Aaron called out as the light dispersed, leaving the team powered up, ready to take on the force of demons again.

Taking leave of their supportive roles, Lexa and Artemis joined the yellow and black rangers in fighting the force of foot soldiers. Firing off the blazing pink arrows of energy from her bow, Lexa began taking down troops as they charged at the four rangers. As she did so, Ben slammed his axe into the ground, summoning stone that jutted out from the ground, pinning many of the Thralls in place.

Artemis turned her head to Tyson as the yellow ranger finished dealing a blow to a Thrall, knocking it back and causing a small shockwave, wiping away a small group of the minions. "Hey, Ty, combined attack?" She asked simply to which the yellow ranger gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Calling down a strike of lighting that charged into his hammer Mjolnir, Tyson mustered all of his might into the throw of his hammer that was sent hurtling into the enemy. A few feet before contact, Artemis casted some form of an energy projectile that seemed to split off into four smaller versions that began orbiting the hammer as it flew into the ranks of Thralls, decimating the force in a surge of electricity and an explosion of magic. As the four of them finished off the final few stragglers, they turned to see that the other rangers were still facing up against the dreadnaught warriors.

Without a second thought, the four of them rallied to the sides of their teammates, Lexa and Ben fighting at the side of Percy, while Tyson and Artemis fought alongside Emlie. As they did so, the Dryad ranger and black ranger switched between opponents every few seconds, opting to fight the centermost dreadnaught with Aaron.

Spinning his trident around, Percy generated a strong typhoon that he fired at the dreadnaught, chipping away at its armour and forcing it to it's knees. Following up from this, Ben brought Parashu around, cutting diagonally down the jagged dark metal chestplate of the dreadnaught, cutting it open and exposing the Thrall's body. Finally, Lexa drew her bow back as far as she could, charging up a powerful shot before releasing it. The surging arrow of energy darted into the chest of the dreadnaught, piercing through the body of the foe and causing it to burn up in a whirlwind of fire.

Charging forward, Tyson slugged his hammer into the armored helmet of the dreadnaught, knocking the armour off and revealing the monstrous face of the demon. Aiming her staff toward the foe before them, Artemis fired out a small sphere of light from Thyrsus. Upon making contact with the dreadnaught, it exploded, blinding the Thrall like a flash weapon would. To finish the dreadnaught off, Emlie stepped up, her legendary spear radiating an ever growing light. When it had reached adequate levels, the white ranger charged at the dreadnaught, levelling her spear at the Thrall. As everything was obscured but the white ranger and the spear, the Thrall dreadnaught let out a wail as Emlie destroyed it with a divine luminous pierce.

With two down and one to go, the battle was almost over. Regrouping behind the Templar ranger the others loaned their strength and stood ready to finish off the final dreadnaught. Jumping in front of Aaron, Ben and Tyson looked back at their teammate.

"We'll make an opening for you." Ben informed their leader, who gave a firm nod in response.

"Thanks guys." He said as Tyson and Ben struck the dreadnaught, somewhat cutting through the armour, but it still didn't look to be enough to finish off the Thrall. From what they could tell, the armour that this dreadnaught Thrall wore was much thicker than the two they had just defeated.

The two rangers doubled back, making way for the others to deal the next attack. The white and pink rangers exchanged a glance before Lexa fired an energy arrow up high before Emlie threw her spear into the arrow, splitting it into the thousand arrows attack, that pierced through and opened up the armour more, but still not enough to finish the dreadnaught.

Stepping up to try their luck at making an opening next were Artemis and Percy. The blue ranger began drawing water energy from his elemental power, creating some form of lance stemming off from his trident. Pulling it back momentarily, the blue ranger lunged at the dreadnaught, slamming the aqua lance against the enemy in a crash of high pressure water, It seemed to have shredded the armour further and it was only hanging together by what metal still protected the dreadnaught, even though this was the case, it would take a strong attack before Excalibur could finish the demon. Despite the power that the sword held, it wouldn't be of much use against any form of thick armour, even in such a damaged state.

Bringing her staff forward, ready to strike out at the dreadnaught before her. Channelling what mana she could into Thyrsus, Artemis cast out a bolt of energy, colliding with the dreadnaught. The impact managed to shatter the chestplate and stagger the rangers' opponent.

"Alright, time to finish him off." Aaron said in a confident manner as he grasped Excalibur with two hands. Sprinting forward, the Templar ranger span the legendary blade in his hands, pointing it straight as he charged into the exposed dreadnaught, running the demon through. Drawing it from the dreadnaught, the ranger turned as it burned up in a blazing whirlwind.

The rangers cheered as they regrouped after a successful battle against the unusually large force of Thralls and these unique dreadnaught enemies. "Is that all you've got Abaddon?" Aaron called out in a boast as the rangers celebrated yet another victory against the demonic forces plaguing their town.

Yet only moments later, there was a chill in the air as a dark and unsettling chuckle came from behind them. Turning cautiously, the seven ranger braced themselves as they came face to face with the crimson skinned mastermind himself.

"Rangers, we meet again. It looks as if we've all grown stronger since our last meeting, even you little witch." Abaddon greeted them as he walked forward from where he had been initially stood.

Tyson and Emlie stood in front of the younger ranger, guarding her from Abaddon. "You're not getting anywhere near her." Emlie declared, which only seemed to amuse Abaddon.

"Always concerned about others, this is why humans are weak. I digress. I propose a duel to the seven of you. I don't want any of you, I want the weapons you carry. Meet me at the top of the hill at the east, the one overlooking the rive. There we will settle this." The demon prince informed them before spreading his torn and battle damaged wings and flying off to the field of battle, giving out a malevolent laugh as he flew away.

"Hey, get back here!" Aaron called out to no avail. The seven of them demorphed as they came together to decide their next plan of action.

"Man he's creepy, anyway, we gonna go all out and blast him into next week or what?" Lexa asked as the others thought on what they should do in the fight with him.

"Last time I wounded him fatally, but he seems different now, like the first time he was only at a fraction of the power he's got now. But he seemed to like fighting me too, so maybe if I keep him occupied, we can catch him by surprise." Aaron suggested, thinking back to their first encounter with him.

"Way I see it, Abaddon just gave us an opportunity to plan our attack. We've got all the equipment we need right now if we plan out exactly what we're going to do. Hopefully everything goes smoothly though." Ben replied explaining the new situation they found themselves in.

"Okay so you guys get planning and hopefully we're finished before we reach Abaddon right? Let's get moving, if pretty sure we all want to get back at him for ruining lunch time." Artemis finished as the rangers nodded in acknowledgement before heading off to face the leader of the demon army himself, hopefully for one last time.

 **[Riverside Hill]**

The hill that Abaddon now stood upon was high up compared to the river beside it. Looking over the edge, the demon prince saw that it was a long fall if any of the rangers were to go over the edge, this way ensuring his victory one way or another. The fight against the heavily armoured dreadnaught Thralls also gave Abaddon an insight into the seven's capabilities and fighting styles. Now that it was time to face them, this was vital information.

A line of unarmed Thralls either side stood watch ready for the rangers to come. They appeared to outnumber the heroes two to one. Footsteps were heard as the seven now morphed again rangers sprinted up the hill to come face to face with Abaddon.

"This ends now Abbadon!" Aaron called as he levelled Excalibur in the direction of the demon prince.

Abaddon raised his hands and shrugged. "What? No roll call, I thought that's what you rangers did when you were about to win the day against your greatest enemy."

"We wouldn't even give the time of day to you." Percy replied as the rangers readied themselves to face the demon prince.

"Funnily enough, you won't need such a thing today, unlike what you may think, coming here is for my benefit. You'll regret ever crossing me rangers." Abaddon declared as he drew a crimson tinted longsword made of a similar crude metal to that of the armour of the dreadnaughts.

"Let's just skip the talk and get right onto the fighting!" Tyson exclaimed as he span Mjolnir around in his palm before charging as Abaddon, swinging the legendary hammer at the face of the demon.

Yet with swift movement, the demon prince effortlessly dodged it. Tyson kept swinging his hammer, yet with each swing he became more tired until he needed a breather.

Abaddon smirked. "My turn." with one powerful arcing attack, the leader of the demon forces knocked Tyson off of his feet and out of his ranger form, resulting in the yellow ranger collapsing on the ground unable to move. "Pitiful." Abaddon added as he walked toward the other rangers.

Artemis and Percy then concentrated their abilities into attacks, simultaneously attacking their foe. Yet unexpectedly, the demon prince used his sword to carry the two attacks around, turning them onto the blue and Dryad rangers, wiping them out in a similar manner to Tyson.

With three rangers down, Aaron charged forward in an effort to prevent him from defeating the rest of them. Clashing his sword with the demonic steel of Abaddon's blade, the ranger was confident that he could keep Abaddon busy. Yet the demon prince sidestepped as Aaron applied more force, causing the Templar ranger to tumble to the ground, losing his grip on Excalibur. Abaddon then took hold of the holy sword, now opting to dual wield as Aaron waited to recover from that move.

"I think we'll need a little bit more to take him down." Emlie suggested, turning her head to the pink ranger.

"On it." Lexa replied, understanding. The pink ranger then gave a sharp whistle as she drew her bow and fired a few shots at Abaddon, which the demon prince deflected with ease. After a few moments, Lexa's minotaur, Cuddles charged up the hill straight at Abaddon, the latter just managing to block it's horns with the two blades he wielded.

"Getting a lowly beast such as this to do the work for you. Do try to show some originality." Abaddon remarked as he grabbed a hold of the minotaur's horns and span it around. As he did so, Aaron began to stand up, recovered from the previous encounter and ready to fight, now wielding Arondight.

As he began to charge at Abaddon, attempting to strike a deadly blow at the demon prince, Aaron's eyes widened when his opponent released Cuddles, who flew, hurtling toward the ranger with a wail. Abaddon grinned as the events he set in motion worked out precisely as planned.

The force at which he threw the minotaur managed to keep going even after hitting into Aaron, knocking him off of his feet. The remaining rangers shared shocked expressions as both Aaron and Cuddles tumbled down off of the edge of the hill and down the long fall to the shallow river below.

"Aaron!" Emlie and Ben called out in shock as Abaddon grinned in sadistic pleasure. "Cuddles!" Lexa called out, shocked at the unexpected turn of events for her pet minotaur.

"Now then, after I win the duel, you're all coming with me." Abaddon told them as he walked toward the remaining rangers with a calm and composed expression.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 44. Another cliffhanger, I'm being really cruel with the final few chapters aren't I? With the effortlessness of how Abaddon went through the other rangers, I'd say with certainty that the others are also now his prisoners. But after both Aaron and Cuddles fell off the edge, their fate unknown, everything hangs in the balance. Now with the other rangers helpless against the demons and Abaddon's victory all but certain, we come to the thrilling conclusion of Act 2.**

 **I really wanted to take my time and be satisfied with this chapter so it did take a lot longer than usual to come out, that and I had to go be social for a day and a half, not really my thing and it made me lose valuable writing time. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you all later.**

 **Next Chapter: A Knight's Duty: Part 2**

 **Synopsis: After a long fight against the demon army, the final battle against this threat commences. With six ranger captured, all of the legendary weapons in the hands of the enemy and the fate of one ranger unknown, Abaddon is on the verge of victory. Will the rangers be able to defeat their enemy, or will he succeed and become the strongest being in existence? Find out in the Act 2 finale of Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	46. Chapter 45: A Knight's Duty: Part 2

Ch45: A Knight's Duty: Part 2

After the duel with Abaddon, the legendary weapons have landed in the clutches of the demon prince, who is now ready to commence his plan to become a god. With six of the seven rangers now imprisoned within the demonic fortress and the fate of the remaining ranger unknown, the victor will be decided by what is to come.

Reaper walked down a dark hallway near the top of the spire, stopping as he reached the inner room on that level of the fortress. Opening the thick and heavy door, the villainous subordinate entered to view the work of a handful of Thralls carrying out their orders, preparing the ritual area for Abaddon's ascension. In the center of the room was a round stone table which had an indentation carved into the surface for each of the weapons to fit into perfectly. At the centre of the table was a circular piece carved out which spanned a small trench to each weapon.

Above that was some form of crystal that fluctuated with dark energy, held in place with strong cast iron clamps that were attached to strong metal rods that in turn were bolted into the walls. A small hole in the ceiling appeared to carry on until it reached the top floor, from which Abaddon would stand for his ascension. An archaic book rested on the ritual table as the Thralls maneuvered any additional items needed for the ritual to succeed.

As they did so, Reaper approached the table and opened the book, flicking through the many pages detailing other rituals that could be performed for other purposes, after a few moments, the trusted subordinate of the demon prince opened the book onto the desired page.

"Get everything ready as soon as you can, Lord Abaddon wishes we start at noon, don't disappoint." Reaper ordered, the demonic foot soldiers responded by working faster than they had been to make sure everything was ready and their master was content with them, not wishing to incur his wrath.

 **[Shallow river]**

From below the hill where the fighting had taken place just a day ago, the still forms of the now unmorphed Aaron and Cuddles the minotaur lay in the river. The impact had done much damage and neither of them looked to have survived the fall. The shallow bed of water that they both lied in seemed to shimmer in the late morning sunlight as it hit lightly against the face of the Templar ranger.

"Wake up." Came the grizzly voice of a man. "Wake up." The voice said again, this time growing more impatient before a large wooden was tapped against Aaron's head a few times before the ranger jolted awake.

"What happened?" He asked as he looked around until he turned and saw the man responsible for waking him up.

He appeared to be a hiker, wearing clothing typical to people out on hiking trips, despite it being the middle of August. A bushy dark beard was the most noticeable feature of the man who stood there leaning on the stick.

"Well first off, it looks like you took on something that was too much for you to handle, then you and that minotaur over there fell off of the edge of that hill. Looks like you're the lucky one who survived, then again, you did have a ranger suit to protect you. Seeing the whole thing, you're gonna need to work harder if you want to stop that demon problem of yours." The man explained as he helped the ranger up.

"How long was I out? And more importantly, how do you know about all that?" Aaron asked, suspicious of who he was now talking to.

"To answer your first question, give or take twenty four hours. As for your second, let's just say that I know things, and I have a vested interest in making sure you succeed." The man responded, vaguely explaining his motives.

"You saw the whole thing and you left me here that long?" Aaron asked, slightly annoyed that this unknown 'samaritan' would do so.

"In my defence there were a few things I needed to do first. So are you just going to let Abaddon win, or are you gonna storm his dark palace without a plan and hope for the best?" The man asked, in sort of a mocking manner.

"With everything on the line right now, there's no doubt about it, I'm choosing the latter. I was chosen like the others to keep evil at bay no matter what, and I won't give up now, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what Abaddon does." Aaron said with a determined look.

The man smirked at him. "You know, it's been a long while since I've seen anyone with your kind of determination. If you're going to defeat Abaddon, then you need to go now, while he's still just a demon."

"I understand, just one last question before I go. Who are you?" Aaron asked as the man chuckled to himself.

"All in due time ranger, now go stop him." He said, choosing to avoid the question. Giving a sigh, the Templar ranger closed his eyes for a second, when he opened them, the man before him had just simply vanished without a trace.

As the ranger readied himself to head off to free his friends and stop Abaddon, he felt his pocket buzz, pulling out his phone the ranger didn't recognise the number. Yet after a moment chose to answer the phone. "Hello?" He asked, bringing it to his ear.

To his surprise, the familiar voice of an english girl spoke from the other end. "Hello, is this Aaron? You're father was visiting us today and he gave me your phone number so I could contact you." The teenager asked.

"Laura?" He asked, certain it was her, but needing confirmation. He received a quick yes from her before giving a sigh. "Listen, I was on my way to do something really important, you kinda called at a bad time. When it's all over I'll call you back and we can catch up, I promise."

While she sounded disappointed, the young woman on the other end also sounded happy that she would be getting the chance to catch up with her old friend. "Okay, just don't forget alright, I'd be- I'd be disappointed if you don't call." She stammered for a second before finishing her sentence.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." said in farewell to his friend as they finished their call. Replacing his phone in his pocket the ranger then drew his morpher and looked at it. 'Abaddon has nothing to lose right now, but if he's stopped, and no longer a threat. Then maybe things can return to normal. Until then, I can't lose, everyone's counting on this fight, counting on me.' He thought before placing his morpher back to where it was and sprinting off to face the demon army head on.

 **[Blackspire - Prison]**

On one of the many floors in the mid section of the demon fortress was where Abaddon housed his most prized prisoners. In particular, it now contained each of the rangers, locked in an individual cell of their own. Their morphers, amulets and even Artemis' suppression bracelet that kept her wild magic from spinning out of control had been removed from the rangers' possession and locked away in a chest in the centre of the room to mock the six of them.

Pacing back and forth between the individual cells was the demon prince himself. "How does it feel rangers? Everything you've done to fight against me, every victory you've had to hinder me. All for nothing. Even the strongest among you fell before me, now you're just my trophies. When I finally have total victory, remember how hopeless it was to stand against me, maybe I'll be merciful to you." Abaddon told them mockingly, acting as if he had already won.

"Not yet Abaddon, Aaron's gonna come and stop you, I know it!" Emlie shouted out in defiance as Artemis gave a nod.

"My brother's gonna come in here and wipe the floor with you." She replied as Lexa stood up and pushed her hands out of the bars, trying to claw at the demon prince with her nails.

"You're gonna pay for hurting my minotaur, come on let me out of here and we'll see who's tougher!" The pink ranger challenged as she kept trying to claw at the demon prince just out of reach.

"I'd never lower myself to your barbaric level." Abaddon responded, stepping away from the cells as a Thrall entered, signalling that it was time for the ritual to begin. "Now if you'll excuse me rangers, I have an ascension to attend." He told them, a cocky tone to his voice due to his confidence now much higher due to his recent victory.

As the door closed with a bang, the black ranger gave a heavy sigh. "So Abaddon's basically won now and we don't even know if Aaron survived that fall. It makes me wonder, were we any good? Abaddon's as smart as he is strong, he probably played us over and over again." Ben said in dismay, it looked as if the black ranger was giving up.

"We can't be thinking like that. There's gonna be a way out of here, there has to be right? This can't have a bad ending, we can't let it." Percy replied, trying to stay optimistic.

 **[Blackspire - Lower Levels]**

At the ground level floor, two Thralls stood guard at either side of the great door that opened up to the outside world. A small force of around five other Thralls stood ready at the door to begin pillaging the now defenceless town of Castelan. As they marched toward the door, they stopped, startled by a knock at the door.

Cautiously, the demon foot soldiers opened the doors of the Blackspire. When the cause of the noise was revealed, the Thralls readied themselves for a fight.

"Oh, hello there, do you demons have a moment to talk about how I'm going to wipe the floor with you? Seems not, better get on with it." Came the voice of Aaron as he morphed and drew his ancestral sword Arondight, charging into the detachment of Thralls, swiftly cutting through them with a flame empowered strike.

Sprinting up the dark spiral staircase, the ranger began his storming of the spire, his first objective clear. 'I'm coming for you guys, just hold on.' HE thought to himself as he charged through level after level, cutting down any Thrall who stood in his way.

It wasn't long until the Templar ranger made his way to the prisoner section of the spire. From where he was stood, he could hear a group of Thralls taunting his teammates, and the ever so obvious loud voice of Lexa challenging them to fight her one on one.

From inside the chamber the Thralls laughed as the pink ranger tried to claw at the Thralls who were stood just out of her reach. As the other rangers sat on the cold stone ground, Emlie caught a glimpse of a familiar shadow move across a lit area and gave a smile, standing up.

"I think you demons have had enough fun, so we're gonna leave now." She told the Thralls, causing them to become confused as to her words, and confusing the other five rangers in the process.

"Emlie, what're you talking about?" Tyson asked moments before his question was answered.

The Thralls standing guard over the rangers gave pained wails as they were cut down by the flaming sword of the Templar ranger. The others shot up from the ground in a mix of surprise and joy to see that Aaron was alright. Aaron quickly cut the locks on the cell doors. "Miss me?" He asked as he shared handshakes and hugs with the different members of his team.

"Thanks for getting us out, but Abaddon's using the legendary weapons to become stronger somehow. We need to get them back, luckily these guards aren't that smart and let it slip where they are." Percy explained as the rangers retrieved their amulets and morphers from the chest.

"Alright, we better get to foiling Abaddon's plans." Aaron said to them as they jogged out of the containment room, heading on to stop Abaddon's bid for godhood.

 **[Blackspire - Ritual Room]**

Reaper stood in the room, reading aloud ancient tongue from the book resting on the table. From each of the legendary weapons a beam of coloured energy shot out, converging in the centre of the table, from there it shot up into the crystal and then further upward to the top of the tower.

The villain quickly shot around as the doors to the room slammed open and the rangers walked in brandishing their blades. "Get back from the table now." Aaron demanded as the rangers walked over to the table. When he refused, Tyson and Percy moved him out of the way, keeping him under guard for the time being.

When the rangers attempted to remove the weapons however, they didn't budge. "Something's up. What's going on?" Artemis asked, walking up to the man.

"Like I'd tell you." Reaper sneered before Tyson held his blade to Reaper's throat.

"We can just let you end up like the rest of your friends." The yellow ranger threatened, for that the white ranger gave him a sharp look.

"We should behave like them." She criticised before the enemy prisoner held up his arms.

"Wait, if you let me go. I'll tell you what you want to know. All you need to do is destroy that crystal there." Reaper told them in an attempt to save his own skin. "Now please, let me go."

Emlie looked at the yellow ranger again. "Tyson let him go." She ordered before the yellow ranger reluctantly did so after a few seconds, allowing Reaper to flee.

Taking his sword, Aaron cut through and shattered the crystal, stopping the process and ruining Abaddon's ritual. One by one the rangers removed their individual legendary weapons from the stone table before exiting the room and standing at the stairway.

Aaron turned to the other rangers, the staircase heading upwards behind them. "Abaddon's just up ahead, and he'll be stronger than before." The ranger then glanced to the side for a moment. "That's why I can't risk any of you getting hurt. I'm sorry." He finished as he ignited his sword with a sheath of flames and proceeding to cut through the ceiling, causing large stones to block the other rangers off. "Get out of here, I'll be fine!" He called out to them as he sprinted up the stairs to face Abaddon alone.

 **[Blackspire - Peak]**

Abaddon stood atop the peak of the spire, the open air top of the tower rising high into the sky, the midday sun rose high in the sky over the spire itself now. The demon prince stood there fuming, he was so close to achieving his goal, and now it was ruined. While he was considerably more powerful than he had been, the process was incomplete, and now foiled. That was when he heard footsteps.

Turning around, Abaddon saw it was Aaron, morphed into the Templar ranger, wielding both Arondight and Excalibur in his hands. "You! You'll pay for this insolence!" Abaddon screamed at the ranger as he charged forward with his own demonic blade, causing the hard sound of steel clashing against steel to fill the air. "I'm going to tear you apart ranger!" the demon prince declared, allowing his rage to take full control for the first time in centuries.

"No matter what you try, how close you come, there's always gonna be a force for good to foil your evil plans!" Aaron called out as he knocked Abaddon's sword away and cut down the side of his face with the two blades.

"You will bow to me mortal, I am a god!" Abaddon ordered as he thrusted his fist into the helmet of the Templar ranger, shattering his visor and knocking him to the ground. "Now wallow in your defeat ranger, before I end you." Abaddon gloated as he stepped on Aaron's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"N-Never… No matter what get's thrown at me, I'll always get back up. I sent the others away to keep them safe, I need to be strong so that they don't have to. I'll never stop fighting, if it's against you or anyone else that threatens us." Aaron said as he struggled to breathe under the foot of the demon prince, but still managing to defy him.

"Then you're a fool, prepare to die-" Abaddon cut off and fell back due to the blinding light now coming from Excalibur that rested in the hands of the Templar ranger.

When the light died down, Abaddon arose to see the figure of the Templar ranger, but he now appeared far stronger than before. His armour had become completely silver and much more bulkier too. The patterning in the silver plates resembled that of feathers as the now far more powerful ranger stood there. He had pauldrons that resembled small wings and a silky white cape that flowed from his shoulders. His helmet also drew upon the feather motif, the visor being in the shape of a cross. From the sides of the helmet extended great arcing wing themed adornments. It appeared as if both Arondight and Excalibur had fused into a single silver greatsword. A white gemstone rested at the base of the blade and the crossguard appeared to follow the same winged appearance as the rest of the armour.

"Templar ranger, Shining Slayer Armour!" Aaron called out as he gripped the greatsword with both hands. "It's time you fell Abaddon!"

Barely managing to block the sword of the empowered ranger, Abaddon was finding difficulty fighting off the powerful attacks Aaron kept sending his way. "But you're just a boy. I've had centuries to prepare, how did you manage this?" Abaddon asked in disbelief.

Swinging one more powerful blow, the silver greatsword shattered Abaddon's demonic weapon. "Because I have people to fight for, because it takes courage to keep going through everything, even when it hurts. When you can get through the pain, you can conquer anything, and everything gets better from there. Goodbye Abaddon. Aaron said to the demon prince as a silvery aura surrounded his blade.

"It can't end like this, I was to become a god!" Abaddon yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Soul Sever!" Aaron called out as he cut through Abaddon, using all the might he could before finally striking all the way through, causing Abaddon to surge with energy before exploding in a bright array of colour, which in turn blinded the ranger and knocked him off of his feet.

 **[Blackspire - Exterior]**

From the ground, the rangers had seen the exchanges of energy, and now that the demonic threat was gone, the spire began to crumble. As the rangers sprinted to the crumbling spire, Percy and Lexa were knocked back by an unknown force.

"What the hell's going on? We can't get past." Lexa stated, explaining the situation to the others.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Artemis let out a pained yell. When they looked over the saw her eyes glowing bright green. "My wild magic, I have a suppressor for it… if I don't have it with me for so long, something like this happens." She explained while she seethed in pain.

"Then we can't get to him." Emlie said with a worried expression.

Indeed, wild magic was such a powerful thing, all that the rangers could do now is wait until it dispelled. Each of them were anxious as they waited. The last parts of the Blackspire had fallen a few minutes ago, but the wild magic barrier remained. Yet the pain Artemis felt finally soothed and the barrier around the ruined spire finally dispelled. Without a second thought, the six rangers rushed to the ruins to look for Aaron.

The rangers desperately searched the rubble for a few moments before hearing Tyson call out to them. "I've found him!"

Sprinting as fast as they could, they found Aaron on the ground with Excalibur resting nearby. His eyes were shut as he lay there, and it was unclear if he survived.

The others were concerned, most of all Artemis and Emlie as they rushed over. "Please be okay." The white ranger said, hoping that Aaron was in fact alright.

Feeling for a pulse, Artemis gave a sigh of relief. "He's okay, but we should wake him up now. There was a spell I saw in my book recently, it can wake people up. Just give me a minute." She said as she flicked through the druidic grimoire she had on her person. After a few more moments, the ranger found it and cast the spell with what mana she had left.

Yet there was no reaction from the unconscious ranger. "Is something wrong? You said it'd wake him up." Emlie asked as Artemis shook her head.

"I-I don't know, it should work. I don't understand." Artemis stuttered, now starting to panic, despite their attempts, he wouldn't wake up.

The other rangers could see Emlie and Artemis begin tearing up at the thought of losing him and they all shared the same feelings, yet not as strong as the white and Dryad rangers did.

"Wake up, please. I don't want to lose you. Please wake up." Emlie begged as she cried into the shirt of the comatose ranger in the rubble of the Blackspire.

The rangers, the town of Castelan and the rest of the world were now rid of a great evil. With the crimson demons defeated, things in the town would become quiet for now. But with the cost of victory now apparent, that rangers are left to wonder, was it all worth it in the end?

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that was Act 2 everyone. In this chapter, we had a mystery man help Aaron out, presumably he'll return from his words, then a conversation with an old friend, but in his current condition, that sparks problems if they ever do meet again. The the daring rescue of his friends, before leaving to defeat Abaddon. But something in that fight has sent him into a comatose state and that rangers now have to deal with the aftermath of everything, keeping any stray forces at bay.**

 **But while one evil is gone, another is always on the way in the power rangers universe. I've enjoyed writing Act 2, essentially the second season if you want to look at it like that, as much as the rest of you have enjoyed reading it, at least I hope, so I hope you'll all join me for the final act in this incredible adventure, coming soon.**

 **Now I'll be taking a break from Mythos and it'll be on a month's hiatus to work on other power rangers series, starting back in october, and there will be a timeskip, among other things, so please join me then and I'll give you a short preview now.**

 **Act 3: Return**

 **Synopsis: After the events of the final fight with Abaddon, the rangers make tough decisions and fight any remaining demon forces threatening their town, unaware that an old foe is returning to claim the earth with an army of the undead. Next Act on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	47. Chapter 46: Return

Ch46: Return

Midnight struck in the town of Castelan. As the older citizens celebrated the destruction of the Blackspire earlier this day, children slept safely in their beds, no longer threatened by the demons in the distance. What none of the knew, that the events leading up to the defeat of the demons, was only a beginning for a both old and new evil to rise up. This would prove to be the most challenging foe that both this town and their protectors.

The shadowy figure of the villainous Reaper, the only important foe to survive the battle that ended the demonic campaign, darted across the rubble infested field, until he came upon the remnants of the Shadowgate. With the collapse of the demonic fortress, came the destruction of the only way in and out of the Cursed realm on earth. Reaper clenched his fist as he drew a small blue stone with a faint glow from the rubble of the gate and raised it up to his face where he could view it properly.

"The Astrone, what we used to activate the Shadowgate to begin with. If I could just gather the materials to rebuild the portal, I could free Shadai and take revenge on the rangers. Abaddon was so close to godhood, I was his right hand. Now everything I worked for is gone!" Reaper yelled in the cold of night as he heard a dark laugh from behind him.

Quickly turning around, the villain was face to face with something, rather someone, he didn't expect to see. A being of pure shadow, locking it's malefic eyes on him. "Though I appreciate the sentiment, I didn't need your help. The minds of the demon foot soldiers, that occupied my prison, were easy to break. As the spire collapsed, I entered the portal and emerged back on earth to retreat to the shadows, until you came that is."

"L-Lord Shadai!" Reaper called out in surprise as he bent his knee to the shadow form before him. "I'm ready to serve you once more, my master, to finally wipe out this feeble town, and then the whole world!"

A dark chuckle came from the shadowy form of Shadai as he began walking forward. "Arise, Reaper." He commanded, to which the servant obeyed. "You conspired with a witch to betray me on the promise of godly power. Even before then, you've worked your way up the ranks through treachery. I've had enough of you, but thank you for the gift." Shadai explained as he tore the Astrone from Reaper's grip.

"B-But, Shadai, you can't leave me here like this! I deserve another chance!" He pleaded.

What almost appeared to be a shadowy smirk formed in the humanoid mass of shadows. "You're right about one thing Reaper. I can't leave you like you are." Shadai added as he darted straight forward, phasing through his former servant and taking all the wind out of him.

As Reaper dropped to the ground, suffocating, Shadai laughed once more. "You'll die the death a snake like you deserves, a slow and excruciatingly painful one. Now let's see what other secrets this stone might hide." He added as he disappeared into the winds along with the stone.

Reaper collapsed completely as his vision blurred and began to blacken. "N-N-Not… Li-ke, T-his…" He gasped, struggling with his words as his lifeforce began to wither away.

"This life of yours is fading, but worry not, a new one is about to begin." Came the calm and benevolent voice of a woman as Reaper's vision faded completely to black.

 **[Three Months Later - November - Sacred Springs High]**

Cold wintry air blew into the halls of the school as a huddled group of students, clad in thick coats. Nearby, a young Sophomore student was stood by her open locker, rummaging through it. Soon finding what she was looking for, she pulled out an english homework task sheet and a faint green glow materialised around her hand. From there, words appeared on the page one after the other as if by magic.

The young teen in question was Artemis Domino, a young magic user and Dryad ranger. "There, all done. That'll show that english teacher for making me write an essay on Macbeth. Glad I could copy this one in one quick go." She said to herself before retreating to her thoughts. 'I'll just have to replenish some mana later, I think I'll take a nap in my English class.'

"I thought you got banned from using your magic to complete homework." Came the familiar voice of a young man from directly behind her.

"For your information, he said nothing about the copycat magic I read up on yesterday. Useless in everything but forging documents." Artemis shot back as she pivoted around and shut her locker. Her eyes faded from the bright green they were when she used magic to the soft brown they usually were.

Standing opposite her was Percy Stone, the blue Mythos ranger and one of her friends. After Artemis sorted out her books and notes, the two began to walk down the hallway.

"You know, for an airhead, you do try hard to cheat your way through school with magic." Percy told her, getting the younger ranger to laugh.

"With everything that's gone on, It's best I improve on what I can do, instead of doing something I'm never gonna get." She added as they turned the corner, nearing Percy's homeroom.

"That reminds me, it's been three months, since…" Percy trailed off, not needing to explain to her.

"Three months already. I didn't even think it'd been that long. I don't even think I've been to see him since that day." She added as they slowed down, coming to the door to Percy's homeroom.

"Each of us dealt with it in our own way, I know you felt powerless when nothing you did worked, but you'll have to go sooner or later." Percy finished before turning and entering the classroom.

'I can't avoid it, but maybe if that barrier of wild magic never rose up, if we got to him sooner… Maybe things would've stayed how they were.' He thoughts lingered for a moment before she turned and walked down the halls to her own class.

 **[The Undercroft]**

After months of searching for a new place to begin his conquest of the world once more, Shadai entered the dark and swampy deep forest. His long and arduous journey had led him into a cavern that spiralled down deep below the surface.

Now, the shadowy form of Shadai stood before some sort of etched stone door, with a small pocket carved into it. "So this is where the Astrone led me. Good, soon enough I will raise a new army, far stronger than before." Shadai affirmed as he placed the glowing object into the carved slot.

For a moment, the stone gave off a brighter glow as ancient mechanisms began to turn. Shadai quickly removed the object from its slot as the stone door gave way and retracted beck into the ground, allowing Shadai to pass into the chamber ahead.

Stepping inside this mysterious new place, Shadai was greeted to a much larger room, that was however obscured by darkness. Launching dark energy from his metaphysical arm, the room soon lit up when the energy split and collided with large braziers around the room. Now full of light from the dark purple-ish fire, the villain could now take in all that this place had to offer.

The room itself was built up of stonework, like an ancient burial crypt. Two archways stood at the sides of the room, granting access to the rest of this unusual structure. A large stone throne rested at the end of the room where a skeletal figure rested, between each of the braziers lay polished stone sarcophagus' enscripted with an ancient language that belonged to no known civilisation.

Shadai's form strode towards the throne and the deceased figure sat upon it. "My forces were drawn from the cursed realm the last time I sought to conquer this earth. The Astrone is a near limitless source of magical energy. Last time I had to sacrifice power for warriors, I will not make that mistake again." Shadai said to himself as he gripped the neck of the skeletal form.

With one quick motion, Shadai jammed the Astrone behind the ribcage of the skeleton, preparing to use it as his host body. That was the plan, until a dark laugh came from the skeleton. "You want power, correct? To rule this world? What are you to say you can accomplish such a thing?" It asked as the skeletal form stood up, now energized by the Astrone within it.

"I am known as Shadai. I am shadowkin, a being made up of pure darkness, I exist to bring darkness to worlds." He explained, finally revealing just exactly what he was.

"Then you too wish for this world to be cast in darkness. What you do after is not my concern, but with a mutual goal, I will aid you in your efforts. I am the Return, for before light there was darkness and thus it shall return that way, that is my reason for being." The being known as the Return explained as the skeletal figure collapsed back into the throne.

"Join with this body and you will connect with my mind. Then our work shall begin. My warriors will serve you until the end, and we will unleash my spirit on this world. Soon enough, our goals will be completed." The Return Finished as Shadai pulled the skeleton from the throne and began to merge with it.

The skeletal body became shrouded in the darkness of Shadai's form, even snuffing out the light of the Astrone. Soon enough the shadows dispersed, leaving a new villainous form behind. Finely made dark clothes, protected by thin and dark armour plates, covered his new body. His head was completely bald and his left eye seemed to glow with a chaotic purple hue. The final notable detail about his new form was a symbol, tattooed into his forehead. A symbol known as the arms of chaos, eight arrows pointing out in different directions from the same origin point.

Shadai smirked as he raised his arms, sending out as much dark energy as he could from his arms to the stone sarcophagus' in the main chamber of the Undercroft. As the stone caskets drew in Shadai's power, they pulsated with dark energy as something within them began moving, clashing against the stone containers.

After a few moments, numerous figures broke through the stone coffins, rising up and forming in lines before the throne. Almost all of the resurrected beings looked the same, only one stood out.

Standing at eight feet tall and with pale rotten skin, this brute wore fiendish armour as dark as Shadai's own armour pieces. A jagged and ancient sword rested in a decrepit scabbard attached to the figure of this warrior and a torn black cape clung to this being's shoulders. Like every single one of the undead here though, his eyes glew with the same chaotic purple that Shadai's left eye did.

"I am Corrus The Archfiend, warchief of the Return's forces!" He announced, gripping his blade. "Now answer me, who are you and why do you bear the mark of my master!" He commanded, threatening Shadai.

'This is Corrus, he leads the forces that were kept here, ready for the day that the end would begin. He is my first force to be awakened, and so the end begins. It is your task to bring about my arrival. My envoy.' The Return informed Shadai as the villain turned to confront Corrus.

'How long have you planned to end the world? I must know.' Shadai asked the other presence in his head as the Archfiend began to lose patience.

'When this world began, I was created, so that when the time came, this world could end and a new one could begin. It is through you that the end has begun. Now answer my servant.'

'I understand now.' Shadai responded to the other entity before tilting his head downward to face Corrus, giving a smirk as he did so. "I am Shadai, Envoy of the Return!" He announced, allowing Corrus to see the power he radiated.

First, the archfiend bowed his head, then the other undead forces around him followed suit, bowing before Shadai, their new master in their bid to destroy the world and bring about a new one.

 **[Castelan General]**

Despite not being a city, Castelan was one of the largest towns in its region. Due to this, the town needs it's own hospital. Castelan General Hospital is a recent addition of the town, only a year and a half old. It succeeded the old hospital that was demolished and became the park near the centre of the town. The hospital itself boasted quite a lot of the latest medical technology and currently outperformed other advanced hospitals in the region.

Since the destruction of the Blackspire, the comatose form of Aaron Du Lac has been here, kept alive by the staff until something could be done about the unexplained coma. But when even magic could do nothing, it didn't appear science would fare any better. Despite all this, he was often visited after school by his friends, today being one of those days.

Emlie and Lexa sat in the hospital room, watching his motionless body. The former held his hand while Lexa just sat with her arms folded. "I wonder what was going through his mind when we last saw him. We should've took on Abaddon as a team, it was kind of a letdown that it didn't happen."

Emlie gave a sigh. "I wish he hadn't done something like that. After it was over, things just got worse. Even though there's no threat to Castelan now, our team, our friends either left or they're too fixed with guilt to do anything. It's hard to keep going, but we should've stuck together as a group, even through all this."

Lexa stood up and headed over to the window. "I know what you mean, but with Artemis, she still feels like it's her fault for everything. Tyson's family didn't feel safe in Castelan after the year we had, he had to leave town to keep them safe. Ben just lost the will to keep fighting, even if he did stay on the team, it'd be more dangerous. We just need to face the facts that even though Artemis doesn't want to talk about it, she's still on the team fighting any remnant demons. Even with four of us now, it's still enough to keep going, even if we don't talk too much now."

"I just wish that things could go back to the way they were. I know it won't anytime soon, but we should at least start to getting things back to normal." Emlie added as the pink ranger's phone buzzed.

Lexa gave the white ranger a glare, signalling that there was trouble somewhere in the town. "A patrol of demons, better get this done quick." For these two, visiting time was over, it was now morphing time.

As the two darted out of the room, a man entered the room. A man with an odd familiarity about him. He wore clothes that one would when going out for a hike, yet he was too far into the town to do so, adding to the strangeness.

"We meet again ranger. Though I believe you were much more lively last time." The man said, with a foxlike grin. "To be honest, this is just a little thank you visit. I hope you're listening in there right now. When you were unconscious after that fall, I used my magic to break the limits of Excalibur, letting you unleash all that power, just that once though. That's not all, as a price for me letting you remove those demons from interfering with my plans, I cast another spell on you. This one however, allowed me to take your soul, trapping it in this gem." The man explained as he held up a bright red teardrop shaped stone on a chain necklace.

He laughed as he circled around to the other side, lightly slapping the cheeks of the comatose ranger. "Your mind is still in your head, your body is still in tact, but without a spirit. Without a spirit, there is no link between the mind and your body, you're going to live out the rest of your days split without a soul to connect you. Why am I doing this you might've asked? Well." He smirked as he pocketed the gem and stood back.

Somehow no one had taken notice of the man as his body slowly began to transform, becoming feminine in figure. Long dark hair fell down to the new form of this being's back, eyes a rich gold colour. A flowing red dress traced her slender figure as two black fox-like ears appeared on her head, along with nine black fox tails. "The need for such an illusion is no longer needed, especially when talking to a soulless husk. I'm Kumiho, the Trickster Fox and a god of the old world. Without idiots vying for power I can finally fulfil my goal, and the soul in my possession is something I need to do so. After all, what's a god without an extra soul on hand?" She gave a smirk as she headed to the door. "Just so you know, I only need an ordinary soul, fortunately yours was on hand at the time. Don't worry though, it's in good hands." She finished, disappearing completely as a nurse opened the door to his room to check on him.

 **|Mythos|**

 **So that's chapter 46, also the first chapter in the final act. There wasn't really any action, but it was all about building things up and setting the stage for what's to come. So I'll go over some stuff here just to explain further on some things that were a little vague without spoiling things.**

 **Everything after the first scene happens at the same time, and the things sparsely mentioned are things that happened in the time gap will be built on later. Such as how Tyson and Ben left and how the team has more or less fell apart now. With the yellow and black rangers gone now, someone's also gotta fill their shoes, which is something I'll leave you all thinking on.**

 **The Return is essentially the reality of an apocalypse that was made when this world was made to end it at the 'right' time. Along with the undead threat and Shadai, this makes them the most threatening group of villains in the series. I also gave a name to what Shadai is, since it didn't make sense to me if he was without a species, so he is now known as one of the Shadowkin.**

 **Finally, I'll elaborate on Kumiho. She is based on the nine tailed fox, known as Kumiho in Korean mythology. They can transform and disguise themselves to further their agendas, which is what happened here. It's sometimes seen as malicious, other times benevolent based on which myth you're looking at. Kumiho being a god here derives from a tale I've heard with a fox god that ended up tricking mortals into doing his bidding. So that's how I came up with this character, but now we're gonna go into the action next chapter, so I hope you'll all stick around as we get closer to the end now. So thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.**

 **Next Chapter: A Thunderous Arrival**

 **Synopsis: What's left of the rangers race to fight what is initially assumed to be demons, only to face the Undead forces recently awoken by Shadai. But with their numbers low, can they fight off the undead forces, or will they need help from others? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	48. Chapter 47: A Thunderous Arrival

Ch47: A Thunderous Arrival

Winter had now rolled into the town of Castelan, trees bare of their leaves and the air becoming frigid as the town braced for coming snow. The sun was now setting in the town that had been almost completely free from malefic forces for months. Yet in the coming days, such a thing would just be a memory for the townspeople as yet another threat was about to reveal itself to them.

Artemis Domino sat alone inside of her brother's hospital room. The door was closed and Artemis had been sitting in silence for the past few minutes. She had been told that meditating and attempting to focus one's mana on one objective could reveal an answer to the problem. Yet being a novice in the magical arts, it had not yielded any result, each time she had done before, she had soon given up. Today wouldn't be an exception.

The teen gave a sigh as she opened her eyes and sank down into the chair. "It's no use. I've got no idea why magic just won't work, it makes no sense and it keeps bugging me that I've got all this power and no matter what I try, nothing works." She grumbled. "Meditating, that's useless too, who ever thought that'd work, it just get's me even more stressed out." Artemis groaned before sitting back up and looking at the comatose Aaron in the bed. "You can be a real idiot sometimes you know? If you would've let us come with you, we probably wouldn't be in this mess." She complained as she heard the door open.

Turning her head, she saw a nurse open the door and look at her. She was at average height and had blonde hair tied back. She walked into the room with a small medical cart. She smiled at Artemis as she moved into the room and set the cart by the bed.

"Sorry to have to tell you, but visiting hours just ended, you'll have to go so I can change out his IV and make sure everything's okay." She said in a calm manner.

Artemis stood up and gave a nod. "It's okay, I can come back some other time, I can't take care of my brother all the time." She added as she walked out of the door, almost bumping into someone in the process.

Quickly stopping herself before she sent them both to the ground, Artemis steadied herself before looking at the other person. A surprised look came across her face as she looked at the person she ran into. A young man her age, standing two inches taller than her at 5'9" He had short, clean cut, blonde hair and light brown eyes. He seemed to have a lean and wiry build and was considered handsome by any standard. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a pair of sneakers. Over this he wore a black and white checkered button up over-shirt.

"Oh, sorry, I should look where I'm going more often instead of getting lost in my head." Came the friendly and well mannered voice of the teen she had almost bumped into. "Wait, Artemis, it's a surprise seeing you here. Then again I don't see too much of you outside of class." He added.

"Harry, good seeing you. Your mom works here as a nurse, right? I'm not that surprised you're here then." She added, identifying him as one of her classmates as he smiled at her.

"Yeah, just gotta wait for her to finish her shift, my dad's working nights again, so I thought I'd keep her company for now. You here visiting anyone?" He asked, her presence at the hospital piquing his curiosity.

"My brother. Right around the time the giant spire was destroyed by the Power Rangers, he got caught in the crossfire of one of their fights. He's been in a coma ever since." She lied, brushing some of her hair to one side with her hand.

He gave a nod. "I heard someone did, didn't know it was your brother. You sure don't seem like it bothers you when you're at school." Harry added as he quickly glanced into the room.

"I just don't think about it really." She replied while looking at a clock in the ward she stood in. "I've gotta go now, I'll see you at school." She finished as she walked off, giving a small wave to her classmate.

"Stay safe." He added as he waved her off. Once she was out of sight, Harry took a seat in one of the chairs just outside the room, placing his hand on his chin for a few moments before revealing a small journal and a pen.

'When the Mythos rangers were still fighting the demons a few months back, there were seven of them. Now there's only a few left. Thing is, they disappeared one by one. The first was the Templar ranger, and when Artemis was telling me about her brother, she brushed some hair to one side. When I've seen her lie in class, she usually does that. Maybe she knows something about the rangers. The logical conclusion is that her brother's the Templar ranger and he got like that from stopping the demons. Without proof and without being able to talk with him about it, I can't do anything about that. I could try find out more, but for the time being I'll just publish the article about all the reports from scared townsfolk about mysterious new monsters roaming the night to the school newspaper.' He thought as he jotted down his theory and the pieces of the puzzle as to who the rangers were into his journal.

 **[The Undercroft]**

Shadai sat upon the stone throne inside the ancient fortress now home to undead forces. The decayed yet brutish form of Corrus, Archfiend of the undead forces marched into the throne room and stood before Shadai.

"Envoy, my forces are ready to assault the nearby town. At your command, I will lead my warriors to conquer the insignificant lifeforms above, then we can prepare for the arrival of the master." Corrus informed his master's proxy.

"Good, spare none of them." He grinned maliciously as Corrus gave a confirming nod. 'Good, soon enough I shall have command over this world, the rangers won't stop me, and if the Return plans to cross me, he too shall pay for his mistake.' Shadai thought to himself as he clenched his fist tightly.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Morning classes had progressed slowly, fortunately the lunch bell had rang only a few minutes ago. Percy, Emlie and Lexa sat down at a lunch table as they discussed the uneventful morning. While it was likely boring, they didn't feel like talking about ranger related activities given everything that had happened since their last real battle. Each of the remaining rangers felt that way, except for Lexa that is.

"Since neither of you are bringing it up, I'll say it for you. Our team isn't really a team anymore. Sure there's the four of us that's left, but Tyson and Ben left. One way or another, they just gave up. If we're faced with something else, we're not gonna be able to handle it. As much as I hate to say it, we need new teammates." She said, somehow becoming the voice of reason and logic in this argument. "But if you disagree, I can always twist your arms." She added in mild threat.

Both of them let out heavy sighs. "Fine." the blue and white rangers said simultaneously.

"Good, we can get to the Command Center after school. Oh, one more thing, wanna visit Aaron in the hospital tomorrow?" She asked.

Percy's eyes closed slightly as he looked at her for a moment. "It's Wednesday tomorrow, right? They serve pudding in the hospital cafe on a Wednesday, you just wanna go for the pudding, don't you." He deducted.

"You're accusing me of using my friend as an excuse for pudding? You know me so well." She smirked mischievously as the three began laughing about it.

Meanwhile, Artemis was walking outside, near the school practice field. She was wrapped up in a fluffy green coat with a grey scarf wrapped around her neck to keep the cold out. Even though it was cold, some of the sports teams still practiced out on the field, readying themselves for the winter games they'd be playing. Even at lunch, members of the school soccer team were playing with each other in a friendly game. From one side of the pitch, a player chipped the ball over the heads of two opposing players and to one of his teammates in black and white. The player with the ball kicked it with all the strength his legs had. Unfortunately the ball flew through the air and over the crossbar, sending the ball out of the pitch and hurtling towards an unsuspecting Artemis. In a split second, the ball had travelled from the edge of the pitch and straight into the young ranger's head, knocking her to the ground with a thud.

Artemis groaned as she rolled onto her back from her side. "Whoever did that's gonna feel my magical wrath, as soon as I get up anyway." She thought to herself as she readied herself to stand up, wincing from the still present impact pains she felt.

Before she had the chance to stand up, an open hand appeared in front of her, Artemis hesitantly taking hold of it. She was quickly lifted to her feet by whoever had decided to help her. Once her rescuer came into view, she was surprised to see a familiar face.

Her classmate Harry, who she had ran into a day prior in the hospital, had came to her rescue after someone had kicked a ball into her head. Interestingly enough, he was clothed just like the other players on the field.

Harry scratched the back of his head after releasing her hand. "Sorry about that, I guess I got carried away with that kick. I didn't think it'd hit you like that, are you alright?" He asked, explained that it was his fault.

"I'll be fine- Wait you kicked it?" She asked, realising the rest of what he had said. She had intended to give the culprit a piece of her mind, but instead, she seemed to take the time to think about her reaction. "I guess I'll let you off this once, since it was an accident." She said, giving a sullen look.

He reached down and picked up the ball before standing up again. "Okay then, if you say you're okay. I'll just watch what I'm doing next time." He said before turning his head in the direction of the other players waiting for the ball. Turning his head back to his classmate, he gave a sigh. "Looks like everyone's waiting on me. I'll catch you later." He finished as he headed back to the other players to continue their game.

Artemis sighed and started walking in the direction she had been heading in once more. 'I guess it can't hurt to not get back at him, he apologised enough at least. I can always get him if he does it again.' She thought to herself.

As she walked away, the young ranger received a text message. Drawing her phone from her jacket pocket, Artemis looked at the message with an almost bored expression. 'Another demon attack? How many of them survived a giant spire crushing them?' she asked in her head and gave a groan, quickly replying she was on her way before sprinting off.

Meanwhile, on the field where the game of soccer was being played, the two teams were stood around, waiting for the game to resume after a minor foul. As they waited, Harry stood with his hand on his chin. He had been watching Artemis as she ran off suspiciously. Perhaps it was related to his investigation, perhaps a family emergency. Either way, it was worth looking into, with Artemis being a strong lead to follow. He made a mental note to follow up on it if he saw it again. For now, he turned his attention to the practice game as the whistle blew to continue playing.

 **[Castelan Town Center]**

The four remaining rangers arrived at the scene of the coming battle, morphed and ready to face what was first thought to be demons. When they surveyed the latest battlefield, their faces under their helmets appeared surprised as they saw the foes they were now against.

"Looks like we cleared up the last of the demons. Well I hope we did anyway." Percy commented as they eyed the new foes.

Artemis hit his shoulder lightly with her fist. "At least it's something new, just fighting demons got boring."

Lexa placed her hands behind her head. "From here they look like zombies." She gave a sigh. "Sooner or later, it's always zombies."

Although not entirely accurate, the pink ranger was correct in her assessment. As civilians cleared the area of the anarchistic undead, the rangers saw the larger and stronger Archfiend, Corrus, stood among them, ordering the undead around.

His foot soldiers appeared almost human, yet all colour was sapped from their complexion and they appeared to be nothing but skeletons clad in rotting suits of skin. Their eyes glew brightly with the same dark energy that had awoken them. This particular group of undead soldiers wore only rags, and carried ancient weapons. Archaic blades and axes, formed from a compound of different metals.

As the undead forces advanced toward the rangers, all the grotesque features came into view, such as the exposed toothy grins of those that were missing parts of or even all of their mouth.

The white ranger began shaking in her boots slightly as the undead marched forward, stopping just short of their foes. "It is zombies, why'd it have to be zombies?" Emlie asked in a fearful voice.

"Oh yeah, you're scared of zombies. Ever since that one scary movie with them in." Lexa added, tapping the chin of her helmet.

"Hate to break it to you, but this isn't the time for flashbacks." Artemis cut in as they turned their attention to Corrus and his soldiers.

"I am Corrus, Archfiend of the Return's forces. We have come to conquer this town in the name of our master and his Envoy. Submit to my master's will, unless you're foolish enough to challenge me and my Draug." He introduced, in turn, declaring the name of his footsoldiers.

Percy cracked his knuckles as he sized up the large opponent. "So, you think we can take these guys?" He asked, turning his head to the Dryad ranger.

"We don't know till we try." She responded as the four summoned their legendary weapons and charged at the foe.

The Draug footsoldiers braced themselves as they clashed against the elemental might of the rangers. Though even that didn't seem enough to batter back the undead. Unlike the demons, they appeared to be far more versatile when faced with the initial strength of the weapons.

Corrus gave a chuckle, finding their seemingly feeble attempt to penetrate the defensive wall of Draug before him. "Humans, no matter what you try, you are nothing compared to the power my master wields, my undead Draug are a result of the power he holds."

As they forced themselves against their foe, the rangers were knocked back, just managing to stay on their feet. The blue ranger tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Hey, Lexa. Isn't that bow of yours deadly to undead?"

In response, she palmed the top of her helmet. "Oh yeah, we kinda forgot about that. There's been no real need for something that just destroys undead when we were fighting demons. Guess I've got an excuse to rain down some arrows. Mind helping out Emlie?"

"As long as it gets rid of the zombies!" She exclaimed, still frightened of the Draug in front of them.

Readying her spear, she launched it into the air, Lexa quickly responded to this and fired off an arrow of pure energy from her bow, which clashed with the spear and split off into numerous arrows, piercing through the Draug and decimating their ranks till only Corrus remained.

Corrus was still confident that victory was assured, he failed to notice that his forces had been wiped clean from the battlefield. If not for his armour, he would've likely met the same fate as his underlings. "Now, I'll order all of my troops to attack you!" He called out, before looking around and realising his forces had been decimated.

"Hate to break it to you, but there's no one to help you out now. Looks like your master is pretty weak. Shame he couldn't be here too, I have some magical fireworks with his name on them." Artemis mocked as she channeled some of her mana into a green sphere of energy.

Corrus snarled at the rangers. "I'll not make the same mistake again, mark my words. You mortals have no clue what you're facing." He warned as he began to sink down into the ground, soon enough disappearing into the earth in a hasty retreat.

The four rangers demorphed and lowered their guards as the battle came to an end. Emlie gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's over, hopefully they don't come back."

"Wishful thinking, but with our look, that's not gonna be the case. Either way, we better get back to school before we get in too much trouble." Percy commented.

Artemis gave a shrug. "I don't think we'll be in much trouble. You know how I've been forging my homework with magic recently? Turns out it's pretty easy to copy other stuff too, including notes that excuse us from all that boring school work."

Lexa quickly wrapped an arm around the younger teen and gave a big smile. "So what do you say Artemis, can you give your best friend Lexa some fake sick notes?"

"I thought I was your best friend!" Emlie complained at the pink ranger, mostly because of Lexa's obvious scheme to exploit Artemis' gift for magical forgeries.

"Yeah yeah, come back when you've got magic powers of your own." Lexa laughed, cheekily sticking out her tongue at the white ranger.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 47. No ranger replacements yet, but they're gonna need them soon enough. So first off, I introduced a new character to the story. He's the nosy reporter with a habit of looking into things he shouldn't, and believe me, he'll be getting himself into trouble soon. Now as a mention, this pretty cool character was made by my pal Sir Perfluous. I wanted to just outline the type of character he was here, but there's more to build on as everything progresses. It looks as if Shadai doesn't fully trust his partner in world domination too, but we'll see how that goes. I thought it funny to have their first fight seem tough, then turn out to be easy after they figure out they basically have a super weapon ready to use. Fortunately for the undead, Corrus is as smart as he is ruthless, but for now, let's just say if he's beat one way, the same trick won't work a second time. I really want to have a villain that can adapt and learn from his mistakes, so it'll be a fun dynamic to explore.**

 **As for me, things have been ridiculously busy these past few weeks and this' just been sitting unfinished till now. I wasn't too well earlier in the week and I had a vaccination a couple of days ago, so I may get some side effects too from that. Either way, I'll try to get some stuff out in the coming week, but things should be a lot calmer soon. Until next time everyone.**

 **Next Chapter: Decisions, Decisions**

 **Synopsis: After a run in with more undead, the rangers find that their foes fought differently, almost managing to defeat them. Deciding that it was time to bring on a new team member, they decide to look for candidates. But who in town could be an ideal ranger, is it possible that a bad or unexpected candidate could take their place on the team? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	49. Chapter 48: Decisions, Decisions

Ch48: Decisions, Decisions

Deep in the wilderness that resided near Castelan, a damp cave was well lit by candles, placed in crevacesses and ledges around the large chamber. Footsteps echoed through the cave, the cause of the sound stood at the mouth of the shelter. The figure elegantly made it's way into the warm cavern, light revealing just who had arrived here.

The ancient being Kumiho strode into the cave, a focused expression on her face as her numerous tails blew to the side from a gust of wind that flew into the cave. The old god walked on until she came upon a small pond at a far back cave edge, stopping just short of the water, she crouched down and watched as the water rippled.

"You know, skulking in the darkness like you are isn't good for your wellbeing. If I didn't know better, I would've mistaken you for an intruder and killed you where you stand. Luckily for you, I have some use for someone of your talents." Kumiho spoke aloud, her voice echoing throughout the seemingly empty cave.

As she gently flicked the water with her hand, footsteps were heard echoing through a tunnel that lead further into the cave, yet they were getting closer. After a few moments, whoever else had been lurking in the darkness emerged into the light. A long and flowing black robe with a hood over the head were worn by a man, who appeared old and scarred. He stood behind her with his head held low.

"Tell me, did you get the items I needed? If you didn't, then I have no further use for you." Kumiho asked the robed man while threatening him.

"Yes, my mistress. Everything's ready for the ritual, when is it to take place?" He confirmed as the old god rose from the cave pool's edge.

"I have one more thing to gather first, but it will be soon enough, Reaper." She answered him, confirming him to be Reaper, the former servant of both Shadai and Abaddon.

 **[The Undercroft]**

As Shadai rested upon the stone throne inside the ancient evil lair, his newest subordinate paced through the crypt's halls. While he was frustrated that the rangers had a surprising advantage on all of his soldiers, he knew it wouldn't last for long.

'Soon enough I'll remove those rangers from our path. With the armour collected, my soldiers won't be cut down so easily by such weapons. But one thing remains, I need something stronger to crush those rangers, a soldier of pure brute strength. I know just who to choose.' The Undead commander thought to himself as he came to a halt before another chamber.

Entering, the Archfiend scanned the large chamber for what he was looking for. Much larger sarcophagus' were contained here. Corrus, walked along the cold floor of the Undercroft until he came across one coffin in particular. Removing the great stone lid, a huge and barbaric looking skeleton laid resting. A jagged axe, sized up for whatever creature was contained here, rested beside it. Without a moment of hesitation, Corrus placed his decayed hand upon the skeleton and began infusing it with the dark power of the Return.

As the moments passed, the body of the skeleton began regenerating until a corpse like version of the being that he had brought back rested there, until it opened it's eyes, now a corrupted from the power of the Return, and rose from its coffin. Blue almost frozen skin, with a certain decay about it and a tremendous size to this creature was menacing enough. This being also wore thick plate armour that was engraved with what resembled norse markings.

Corrus laughed maniacally. "That's it, rise up and take your revenge upon the surface. Jotunn, last of the Frost Giants, destroy the Power Rangers!" He commanded as Jotunn let out a beastly roar of understanding.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Morning Homeroom was in session and all the rangers were sat lazily in class as the principal's assistant gave the morning announcements, for whatever reason, the principal himself couldn't do it today. "Lastly, could the following people come to the principal's office as soon as possible. Emlie Lane, Lexa Eve, Percy Smith and Artemis Domino. That's all, have a nice day."

The three older rangers looked at each other, uneasy about what they'd been called for, the most worrying thought is the they could've been found out.

As the three made their way out into the hallway, they gave each other uneasy looks. "What do you think this' about?" Percy asked, not sure what to make of it.

"I know if somebody's in trouble, it can't be me, I always cover my tracks if I've done something wrong." Lexa smirked, though it was hard to tell whether or not she was joking.

As they made their way to the office, they spotted Artemis standing just outside, waiting for them. "Did any of you guys do something? Because this is really weird. Why are we being called up here when we've done nothing."

"I guess we should just head in and find out." Emlie answered as they opened the door into the secretary area.

The principal's secretary gestured with her hand for them to enter the office, paying little attention to the four and continuing on with whatever she was so frantically typing. The rangers slowly opened the door, half expecting to get a lecture as they entered.

To their surprise, they didn't find the principal in the seat. Instead, their mentor, Doctor Ethan Blake, sat in the principal's place, the difference was, he appeared well dressed in a suit and tie. He had an uneaten donut with sprinkles in his hand and it appeared he was about to eat it when the rangers came in.

As the door closed, their mentor set the donut down on the desk as stood up. "Glad you're all here. Guess you're kinda surprised I'm in the big seat then. There's gonna be an assembly at the end of the week explaining this, but as of now, I'm officially you're new principal. Aside from better pay and a fancy office, whenever we've got a problem in the city, I can call you up and get you out of classes to deal with it." He explained to them.

"Isn't that gonna affect our grades some way though?" Percy asked, worried that more freedom as rangers would impact their normal lives further.

"I wouldn't worry about that. After all, as principals I can give detentions whenever I want."

"Wait, you don't mean you're gonna-" Lexa asked in a panic before being cut off by the new principal.

"That's right, every time you have to go out and be rangers, you'll spend the day in detention making up for lost time." Principal Blake explained to them, getting an immediate group wide groan from the rangers in response. "There's one more thing. I just got word that there's a monster attacking with those Undead Draug."

"You've seriously gotta work on your timing." The pink ranger remarked as they headed out of the office to deal with the newest threat that had arose and now threatened their city.

Principal Blake slumped down into his chair as his stomach gave a growl. As he reached forward toward where he put his donut, he realised it wasn't there anymore. "That's funny, I'm sure I left my donut around here."

As they sprinted down the halls, Percy looked over to Lexa and smirked. She was happily munching down on the donut meant for their teacher as they ran. One thing that hadn't changed was her habit of taking any food she can get her hands on and Percy doubted it ever would change.

 **[Castelan Market]**

While the market stalls were brimming with goods, the amount of civilians there was dropping drastically as they fled from the terror of the Undead Draug and the resurrected Frost Giant.

As they last of the civilians took off from the area, the four rangers ran down the pedestrian street toward the monstrous Jotunn. Looking at the foot soldiers, the rangers noticed how they now wore armour.

"Looks like they remembered to protect themselves this time around." Emlie told the others as they each drew their morphers.

"Either way, it shouldn't take long to take them out like last time. Wait is that a giant?" Artemis asked, only now noticing Jotunn towering above the Draug.

"Like you said, shouldn't be too hard." Percy smirked as they raised their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" They called, morphing in a flash of light and calling upon their Legendary weapons.

Drawing back her bow, the pink ranger took aim and targeted a Draug on the front line. "Alright, time to see if that armour of theirs does anything." She commented as she released the string, sending an energy arrow zipping through the air. It clashed with the armour of the Draug and seemed to bounce off. Lexa's eyes went wide behind her helmet. "Just great, the one weapon we have against the Undead that actually works and now it's useless."

"You mean we can't beat these zombies!?" Emlie asked in a panic, without the reassurance they could get rid of them, Emlie's fear came flooding back. "Oh great, we've got nothing to stop them, this is bad, this is bad. No no no no." She said to herself as her fear of zombies became worse.

"Alright, maybe they'll scatter if we can take out the Giant. Lexa, call up some strong wind to blind them. Artemis, you'll go and start firing magic at the Giant and the Draug. I'll take it on with my Trident, hopefully we can pull this off before Emlie loses it more than she has." The blue ranger directed them.

Without a second of thought, Lexa channelled her elemental wind into a strong and sustaining burst to blind the Draug and Jotunn. Once the cover was laid, Artemis used her magical staff to vault into the air over the Draug, where she cast a ball of energy down upon the zombie foot soldiers, blasting them to the ground as she landed behind the lines.

Soon enough, Percy joined her to deal damage to the Frost Giant before them. Jabbing his Trident into the leg of Jotunn, the Giant let out a furious roar, slamming both green and blue rangers back to where the other two were stood. A few seconds later, Lexa gave an exhausted sigh and lowered her hands to dispel her elemental wind tunnel.

While the rangers were either exhausted, injured or fearful of their foe, the Draug recovered quickly and charged forward with their weapons. "Somebody do something quickly!" Emlie exclaimed as the Draug were almost upon them.

Percy sat up and saw the coming danger. Levelling his spear, he let loose a powerful stream of water to clash and knock down the zombies ahead. "Any ideas on what we do next?" He asked as the Draug started to stand, some slipping as they did.

"I kinda know one way, but I'm not even sure it's gonna work. It's pretty advanced and I've never done this kind of magic before." Artemis responded as the Draug now began to charge once more.

"Get to it then!" The other three called out.

The Dryad ranger held her hands near each other and cast the unpractised spell. After a moment, a large green circle of energy, with archaic symbols and markings appeared under their feet and transported them away from the battlefield before the Draug could catch them.

Jottun snarled and turned away, commanding his troops to retreat, sinking into the ground to return to the Undercroft.

After the rangers had been transported away by this new spell, all the could see was black. The rangers could hear each other and the appeared to be in a small room due to their lack of space. While they struggled to find a way open, light came pouring in and the four tumbled out into the empty school halls. Fortunately lessons were still going on and no one had seen them. A school janitor had opened the door to enter the cleaning supplies closet they'd emerged from, his lack of attention and the music bursting from his headphones allowed them to go unnoticed as they stood up and gave a sigh of relief that it was all over. It seemed they'd not have to explain their ranger suits either as whatever magic Artemis had use also returned them to their usual clothes.

"That could've gone better." Percy groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Tell me about it, I feel like my head's splitting." Lexa groaned.

"Sorry guys, magic's like maths, complicated and boring and I probably got something wrong." Artemis apologised.

"We need to get the upper hand on them though, find a way to beat them down now they've took out our best weapon against them. There's something else I want to say too, I'm sorry I keep freaking out all the time when it comes to fighting zombies." She said to them, holding her head low.

Lexa walked over and patted her hard on the back. "Don't worry about it, everybody's scared of something, you've just gotta learn to get over it in the end. Now let's get going, I think I know how to surprise those undead the next time they come knocking." She smirked, which gave the other three rangers uneasy looks as to what Lexa was planning.

 **[Command Center]**

Arriving at their base of operations for the first time since the new threat had emerged, the four rangers weren't surprised to see that Jamie was hard at work making tweaks to their systems to ensure they were ready for the next time Undead forces attacked. By the time they had arrived, the sun was setting and cast bright rays through the windows of their base.

Since two of the rangers had left and another was incapacitated, they have kept the amulets containing their Legendary weapons safe, along with the sword Arondight that rested in a display case near the entrance. The amulets sat in a case lined with a special material to keep their power at bay.

Lexa and the others walked over to a table where the case sat. The pink ranger opened it, further adding to the worry the other rangers had to their plan. "Let's face it, without a real team, we're going nowhere. So why not go find a couple of new rangers to help out with this." She explained to them as she turned around to see how they'd react.

"Lexa, you might wanna turn around right now. One of the amulets… It's, it's floating." Percy informed her as they looked at the floating hammer amulet behind the pink ranger.

"You're not tryna mess with me are you?" She asked skeptically to which the other rangers shook their heads.

Yet there wasn't time for her to actually check as the amulet flew straight out of a window Jamie had opened to keep the place cool. The rangers' eyes widened as they realised that in a matter of seconds they had lost an ancient amulet of sizable power.

Lexa quickly shut the case once more and gave a sigh of relief neither of the other two amulets would be able to fly off as the hammer amulet did. "Damn it, I thought that'd work, now we're an amulet short and it could be anywhere by now."

Jamie had just finished tuning one of the systems when the incident had happened and had seen it all. "It's been trying to do that for the past few days. From what the doc says, Mjolnir's consciousness joined with the amulet and now it's wanting to find a new partner, you just let it go early I guess. You better take Tyson's morpher with you the next time you go out against the undead. Whoever it chooses might just be there to give you a hand."

"That's a relief, for a second there, I thought I'd screwed up." Lexa smiled, relieved that it wasn't entirely her fault.

"It still kinda is your fault, seeing how we were supposed to choose who was gonna be a ranger, instead of leaving it up to a magic hammer." Emlie replied, sending some of the blame back on Lexa.

"I guess there's nothing else to do now but go home and wait for the Undead to attack again." Percy finished as they started to head out to rest after the tough battle earlier and now the strange incident here, now their only chance at keeping up with the Undead rested on whoever Mjolnir chose as its wielder.

 **[Kumiho's Lair]**

Further within her cave lair, the old god stood before an old and rickety wooden table. Large clumps of fresh meat and small plants were scattered upon the table as Kumiho drew the tear drop gem on a necklace and placed it in the centre of the table.

"With the ingredients gathered along with the soul gem I filled months ago, all it needs is a drop of blood to complete the ritual and bring about my servant." She explained to Reaper as he skulked in the darker areas of the shade. "One who won't serve me out of necessity, but willingly." Kumiho added as she lifted a blade from the stone floor.

Moving it to her hand, the old god pricked her finger and let the blood drip onto the stone, igniting it with an intense bright red light. Soon enough the light spread to each of the ingredients placed upon the table until all of it was covered and the light began to take the form of a human. Kumiho smirked as her new servant began to take form and her plan's next stage was about to begin.

 **[Castelan Park]**

Corrus, Jotunn and a platoon of Draug troops were attacking the townspeople mercilessly as screaming came from all across the park. It appeared as if the Archfiend's tactics had changed, commanding his troops to destroy anyone in sight.

It didn't take long for the rangers to respond to the terror being brought upon the civilians in the park as the four morphed rangers arrived, ready to deal with the Undead forces in sight. Though they had a slim chance of victory, hope was riding on whoever Mjolnir had chosen to appear and deal a surprise blow to the Undead warriors.

Despite her fear of zombies, Emlie raised up her spear Brionac to the sky where she called upon her elemental power of light to blind the Draug in the area and as cover for the other rangers.

Percy, Lexa and Artemis all unleashed a flurry of elemental attacks upon the enemy while their foes were blinded, believing that they'd finally found a fighting style that Corrus and his Undead couldn't overcome. Yet Emlie couldn't handle the pressure of being vulnerable while she projected the intense light to blind their foes and soon ceased channeling her power, instead watching the Draug near her in case they made a move to fight her.

While the white ranger did so, the other three looked in surprise as none of the attacks that they had thrown seemed to have landed. Their foes had gone unscathed as Corrus stood behind his lines of Draug, smirking, knowing that they were now in trouble.

"Surprised? We're not your run of the mill army after all. We serve the highest being, the Return! We will bring about his coming and you shall know that each victory you might deliver won't matter. We will adapt to our foes until there's nothing that can stop us!" He exclaimed as he gestured for his soldiers to march forward.

The large platoon followed the Archfiend's orders and began advancing on the rangers, who had been so quickly outmaneuvered. As the rangers braced themselves to clash with the force that had once again built up its strength to stop their attacks, they were just as surprised when a surge of lightning coiled around a metallic object zipped through the air and collided with every last one of the Draug, destroying them in a powerful vortex of electricity.

As the electrified metallic object returned to it's point of origin, the rangers turned their heads to see that the object was in fact the Legendary hammer, Mjolnir. Each of their eyes widened upon seeing who now held the hammer.

"Wow, this thing really does work." Came the voice of a young woman with a slight German accent. "Guess that means you freaks were wrong about nothing being able to stop you, lightning works pretty well." She addressed the remaining Undead forces as she walked nearer to the rangers.

"A mere human tore through my forces so effortlessly. This makes no sense, where'd you come from? Who are you?" Corrus asked, enraged that his plan on defeating the rangers was quickly stopped by the young woman's appearance.

"Where I came from doesn't really matter. My name though, It's Vala Stross, and when I'm through with you, you'll not forget the name." She announced to the Archfiend as she raised the hammer once more, ready to deal as much damage as she could to the Undead forces now threatening the town.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's chapter 48 everyone. First off, Reaper still lives. Now serving Kumiho due to a shared goal, but not exactly loyal to her either. If you're clever enough to figure out the word, Jotunn is the old norse name for frost giant and native of Jotunheim, I figured I might as well seeing as we're focusing on bringing in a yellow ranger with norse themes to their ranger arsenal. It kinda makes sense that the head of the school would've had enough of all the goings on by now so I decided why not promote their mentor, that way they can get to the battle easier, but he was a little mean with his cost for that though. I guess Lexa stealing his donut is karma. Corrus is a unique villain in the regard that he'll prepare and adapt to whatever the rangers throw at him, making him a lot smarter and dangerous than you're standard warrior type villain. Kumiho is also creating her own servant, using the soul of a certain ranger in it's creation too, something you'll find out more about soon. I'd say Mjolnir is a lot different to the other weapons in the regard that it's sentient, so I like to play around with that dynamic and have it go off on it's own from time to time. Why on earth it chose Vala Stross over anyone else is something I'll mention another time, it does sound like nonsense though.**

 **Well everyone, looks like the years off to a close in the next day and a bit. I'll be back some time in the new year, shouldn't be too long till the next time I post. Either way it's been a great year and I'd like to just thank anyone that just reads and those that support with other things or leave reviews on what you're thinking. I hope next year can be just as great, so have a happy new year and may the power protect you all.**

 **Next Chapter: Redcloak**

 **Synopsis: Upon Vala Stross revealing herself to be chosen by Mjolnir, she takes up the mantel of the yellow Mythos ranger to take on Corrus, Jotunn and their remaining forces. As the battle nears it's end, a mysterious warrior enters the fray. Who is the mysterious warrior and what are this warrior's objectives? Find out Next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	50. Chapter 49: Redcloak

Ch49: Redcloak

Vala Stross now stood as the only opposition to the Archfiend Corrus and his Frost Giant ally. Moments ago she had entered the battlefield, destroying the Draug foot soldiers in one attack from the Legendary hammer Mjolnir. Standing between the Undead foes and the rangers, the teen raised her newly acquired hammer once more as she prepared to tackle Jotunn head on.

"Vala!? The hammer amulet chose her?" The four rangers exclaimed in a reaction of surprise and shock that Mjolnir had chosen a Stross of all people.

"Apparently she's worthy of wielding a god tier weapon." Lexa added as they looked upon the unexpected arrival to the battlefield.

"We don't really have much of a choice in the matter, if Mjolnir's chosen her, that's that." Percy explained to them to keep them from criticising any further while he drew the yellow morpher and amulet from behind his back. As he walked up to her to give her the two items he called out to grab her attention. "Hey you! Seems you've got yourself mixed up in all this, but since you're wielding that hammer, these are rightfully yours. Put the amulet on and use that morpher, by now I'm guessing everyone knows the morphing call we use, given how intrusive the news station here is." He explained to her, glancing quickly at the white ranger for a second. "So go ahead and knock yourself out." He finished handing her the two objects before heading back to the other rangers.

While they watched and waited, Vala looked to the two objects, hesitantly putting the amulet on before feeling a surge of electricity run through her as the elemental powers bonded with her. "Alright then, looks like I'm going to be a power ranger, maybe my cousin will show me a little respect now." She joked to herself to steady her nerves as she held up the morpher. "Now, what was it that they always call out again?" She asked, staring blankly towards Jotunn and Corrus as she did so.

"For crying out loud it's 'Mythos Ignite!'" Emlie called out with mild frustration at how careless the new yellow ranger was being.

"Oh yeah, that's right." She responded with a small laugh before returning to the more focused stance she had been in. "Mythos Ignite!" She called out as a bright yellow light flared from the morpher, enshrouding her for a few moments and blinging the two foes until it subsided.

When it did, Vala was stood with her hammer in hand, now clad in a female version of the yellow Mythos ranger suit, fitting to her form and completed with a skirt. As Vala took a few moments to look over her new costume, both the rangers and their foes gave unimpressed looks as her attention once again turned to something else.

"Hey, yellow, you mind hitting that Frost Giant with your hammer? We're kinda in a bind otherwise." Lexa asked in a bid to try and focus their new ally. Instead of mocking her lack of attention span, the pink ranger had opted to help rather than hinder due to their present situation, though she would likely bring it up later.

"Fine, I'll get on it pinky." Vala replied, trying to keep herself laughing to put the uncertainty and slight fear of going into battle against Jotunn aside.

On the sidelines, the pink ranger clenched her fist and growled slightly. "I'll get you back for that one soon enough." Though the others didn't want to say anything about her overreacting, they did worry what she had planned in response for that remark. Though as they all knew, that was best left alone.

As Vala stepped up with Mjolnir in hand, Corrus glanced to the undead Giant on his side, giving a small frustrated growl of his own as he looked at the new yellow ranger. "You deal with her. My plan's ruined, with the arrival of a new variable that shattered my forces, this battle's a loss. If you take victory this day however, you'll be rewarded handsomely for your efforts." He explained to the Frost Giant before taking his leave, sinking back into the ground.

Jotunn gave a roar and charged, swinging his giant club as he neared the yellow ranger. Slipping under his guard however, Vala took Jotunn by surprise, and with one swing of her mighty hammer knocked the giant to the ground as a jolt of lightning surged through the foe's body.

The Frost Giant groaned as it rose back up, slamming it's feet down with a heavy thud to plant them in place in an attempt to keep Vala from knocking him down again. With one bellowing roar, the zombified Giant swung its club, Vala narrowly avoiding the attack as it came towards her. Having to leap out of the way quickly however made her begin to panic again. She had felt the powerful burst of air that came from the closeness of the weapon go across her body and guessed that if it had hit, it would've been fatal.

Giving a gulp, she grasped Mjolnir with both her hands and turned her head to the hammer. "Okay magic hammer, I can't believe I'm saying this to an inanimate object, but please help me out here!" She pleaded to the weapon.

Without a moment spent to consider it, the hammer shot up out of Vala's hands and into the sky. It swirled around quickly above the Giant as it generated a stormcloud. Once it was ready, the hammer stopped spinning and slammed straight down through the centre of the artificial stormcloud, bringing with it a large bolt of lightning. Colliding with Jotunn, the hammer lit up the area, electrocuting the Frost Giant for a short time before the lighting strike died down. As Jotunn collapsed to the ground, damaged severely from the strike, Mjolnir returned to Vala's hand.

"Wow, so this hammer does listen to me." She commented, mesmerised by the impressive display of power from the Legendary hammer.

"Looks like she actually did it, a little surprising but she did pretty well." Artemis said as the Giant groaned in agony, wailing over the scorch marks on his corpse like body.

"It's not over yet, that Giant's gotta go first." Percy explained, still focused on ending the fight before any congratulations were in order.

From where she stood, Emlie caught site of a new figure entering the park. The oddity wasn't that someone was entering an active battlefield between the rangers and the Return's forces, it was the strange apparel the figure wore. Finely made leather armour hidden underneath a scarlet hooded cloak. The figure's facial features were also hidden from sight as he approached Jotunn.

"Huh, who's that? And why's he heading toward that Giant?" Emlie asked, grabbing the attention of the other three rangers as they headed beside Vala to investigate just what this new arrival had planned.

Marching onward without even a hint of cautiousness that the Giant might strike, the cloaked figure drew a longsword from inside the cloak. It was made completely of silver, designed to be the bane of any Undead creature it came into contact with. Yet there was one component of the sword that stood out. In the end of the hilt was a bright red gem that seemed to flare to life with energy as the blade was drawn.

"I've got sixty seconds, so I'll make this quick." He said, seeming to direct his words towards both the rangers and Jotunn. "You're Undead and a scourge that must be purged, prepare for your end." The cloaked figure explained to the Giant before running the silver longsword through it. Removing the blade just as quickly, he turned around as Jotunn dematerialised, turning into a pile of ash before them.

The rangers stood silently opposite Jotunn's executor for a few moments, unsure what to make of him. "Who are you? Why are you here?" Artemis asked in an attempt to gain answers from the cloaked figure who had shown up and killed their foe without any apparent reason other than to kill the Undead abomination.

"I am Redcloak. I came under the orders of my lady to vanquish the abominations that threaten her plans. While they are after the same thing as her, my goal is to stop them at all costs." He explained, raising even more questions.

"Wait, your Lady and the Undead want the same thing? Unless it's peace on earth and a heavy drop in weekly monster attacks, I doubt that's a good thing." Percy responded, taking charge of the situation as the others began to get the same uneasy feeling about this Redcloak that he had.

"I've said enough already, but if you plan to get in my way, then I have no choice." Redcloak finished, gripping his blade proper once more.

Darting at them with unnatural speed, Redcloak struck them all with his sword. The speed he had done it at was far too fast for any of them to see it coming and within seconds all five rangers were down on the ground, the wind knocked out of them from the heavy surprise attacks Redcloak had sent at them. Their power waning as they demorphed, Redcloak sheathed his blade and headed to the park entrance.

For a moment he stopped there and seemed to let out a small grunt of pain while placing his hand on his chest. "Be grateful I've spared you this day humans, you may not be so lucky next time." With those few words, he departed, leaving the rangers to recover from his swift but powerful attack on them.

As the five rose, recovering enough to do so, the newest addition to the rangers looked at the other four with a look of surprise and realisation, given how often they would disappear.

The other four looked back at her, noticing the look on her face, one they had seen often enough to know what it meant. "Before you say anything Vala we've heard it before. We should probably head back to the Command Center though, get this whole mess under wraps." Lexa intervened.

As the others brushed themselves off, Artemis pulled her phone out, having received a call. Given how it was sundown she wasn't expecting any calls and was surprised to get one. Upon reading the caller ID however, she answered. Listening to a panicked voice on the other end, her stomach dropped, a bad feeling settling in it. "Dad? What's wrong? Is he alright? Okay I'm on my way!" She asked her father, each sentence becoming more distressed as the conversation continued until she ended the call and turned to her friends. "There's an emergency, I've gotta go now. I'll come by later but I need to go right now." She explained to them with haste and slight panic. Without letting another word in, the Dryad ranger dashed off, despite her injury from Redcloak's weapon.

Though they worried about what had gotten Artemis panicked to rush off so quickly, they had other pressing matters to deal with, such as explaining everything to Vala and finding out more about Redcloak and this Lady he serves. For the time being, that's all they could focus on.

 **[Castelan General]**

Having sprinted from the park to the hospital without stopping, Artemis was out of breath, yet still persisted as she made her way to the floor her brother was being cared for on. Sprinting down the hallway, her father stood outside the hospital room Aaron was in. Her face was full of worry as she came nearer. All she could think about was checking up on her brother. Her Dad managed to stop her from going in, seeing that she was panicked and worried about what he had told her on the phone.

"Hey, Hey. It's alright Artemis. Don't worry. I'm sorry I panicked on the phone and got you distressed too, but I was visiting while it happened and I got scared." He explained trying to calm her down now.

"What happened Dad? He okay isn't he?" She asked, still distressed from what he had told her on the phone.

"He's alright now, but a couple of minutes before I called you, well, his heart rate began spiking to dangerous levels. The doctors had to be called into the room and it sounded bad. Then after I ended my call with you, the doctors came out and told me that it just went back to normal. I'm sorry I worried you, but I wanted you here, in case…" He explained trailing off at the last moment, afraid of saying what came next, though it was obvious what he was trying to say without him saying it.

Artemis breathed in and out a couple of times to steady herself before hugging her father. "It's okay Dad. That's not gonna happen, he's really stubborn after all, he's not going anywhere." She said, in an attempt to reassure him, even if she did have her own fears that Aaron wouldn't pull through this.

Lord Du Lac smiled as he hugged his daughter tightly. Despite the reality that there was no way of knowing for certain why he was in this coma, or what had brought on the recent heart spike, he appreciated the sentiment of his daughter's words.

 **[Command Center]**

While Artemis and her father watched over Aaron at the hospital, the other rangers were recovering while introducing Vala to the ranger world. While Percy went over everything that had happened leading up to this. Lexa and Emlie stood off to the side, leaning on one of Jamie's worktables.

"Hey. You alright? You've been kinda out of it since that Redcloak kicked our butts." Lexa asked, getting the attention of her best friend.

"Yeah, it's just this feeling about Redcloak. Something about him doesn't feel right. He said he was on a time limit too, then when he left, he looked to be hurt, but he hadn't been struck once when he wiped us." Emlie replied as they looked out of the large glass windows into the woods.

"Don't worry about it, you're just overthinking things. Besides, we told Jamie and the Doc what happened when we got back. At least we caught Corrus by surprise today when Vala showed up. She didn't do that well, but at least I know how to mess with her now." She said lightheartedly, trying to get the white ranger away from the seriousness of their ranger lives to enjoy the win they'd gotten today. Yet the smile she wore after her last sentence bore a mischievous undertone, which worried Emlie. Having known Lexa for so long she knew it meant only one thing, trouble.

While the two friends went about their business, Percy had caught Vala up on most of what had happened, having just spoke about the final battle against Abaddon. "That's when Aaron fell into the coma, I'm guessing you know the cover story for that. Since then though, things haven't been too good. Tyson left with his family because they didn't feel safe and Ben just lost hope that we were able to keep fighting if we had to, eventually he moved away. After that, I guess the rest of us started to blame ourselves for not being able to do anything back then. I know Artemis takes it out on herself the most though, spends whatever time she has to herself just practising her magic, even if it does get her hurt. I'm trying to look out for her, but she just keeps all that to herself and puts on a brave face. It's just getting hard to work as a team now when we can't even open up about it."

"I think I get it. He's her older brother and from the sounds of it, he's always been looking out for her, as soon as it was her turn to keep him safe, she couldn't do a thing about it so she's taking it out on herself. I'll have a talk with her when she gets back, girl to girl, maybe I can get through to her. After all, men are terrible when it comes to emotions." She said with a supportive smile.

"Thanks Vala. You know, you're acting a lot differently from how you were fighting that Frost Giant. More confident and you managed to keep your attention on one thing for more than five seconds. I'm not trying to be insulting there just so you know." Percy responded grateful for her help.

Vala let out a small laugh before straightening herself up. "I get a little nervous when it comes to trying new things, like morphing into a Power Ranger and trying to topple a Giant. I can focus on one thing for a while though, but that usually gets boring."

"Either way, I'm glad you're with us, you'll get the hang of things in no time. I'm just hoping we can get another black ranger soon too. The way Corrus is adapting to what we can do, we're gonna need it."

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's chapter 49 everyone. Vala while she got off to a rocky, perhaps intentionally rocky, start she managed to pull through and zap Jotunn while forcing Corrus into a retreat with her unexpected arrival. Before they could finish it however, Redcloak arrived. Now it's pretty obvious who he serves, but it'll be drawn out for the sake of the characters. There's already some vague hints at things to do with his character in here, but I'll keep my mouth shut about it for the time being. Percy also admitted to watching Artemis since given how she couldn't fix what happened with her magic, she's the one likely to blame herself the most, that's just for a little character building in the future though.**

 **Sorry I haven't been posting as much as I said I would either. Aside from fighting off a cold and having to be social and such, I've been investing quite a bit of my time lately into the Cthulhu Mythos, something that's piqued my interest as of late, though I might hold off on buying any of the Lovecraft books till I have money to spare. Either way you may see subtle or not so subtle hints or references to that in some of my future work. I'll have another Mythos out in the next day or two for certain, but I'm gonna be focusing on this series and try get it finished in the coming weeks. So until then, thanks for reading.**

 **Next Chapter: Invasive Journalism**

 **Synopsis: Harry Starke has been a fan of the Mythos rangers ever since they first appeared on the local news. Since then he has dedicated himself to finding out both who the rangers are and what the intentions of the monsters attacking Castelan are up to. Writing for the school paper, one day he hears about a new monster attack and decides to set out and solve both mysteries. The question isn't how far he'll go to achieve his goals, it's will he go too far in the eyes of those who see him as a friend? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	51. Chapter 50: Invasive Journalism

Ch50: Invasive Journalism

Early morning light seeped through a gap between a pair of dark curtains, illuminating part of an otherwise dark bedroom. Though simple, it appeared to a teenager's room, containing everyday items belonging to an adolescent. The only oddity one might see were the copious amounts of local newspapers stacked up near around a computer desk, most of which had the Power Rangers in their headline.

Slowly rousing from his sleep, Harry Starke got up from his bed, rubbing his eyes for a moment before heading over to get ready for the day. Despite his tiredness, he had instantly jumped back to his thoughts from the previous day. While heading to the scene of the latest battle between the Mythos rangers and the Undead forces, wanting to see the new yellow ranger with his own eyes, a figure sporting a red cloak and a concealed sword fled the scene. The new warrior had darted past Harry while he made his way to the park. 'When I saw that cloaked guy running away the other, I just had to find out what was going on. I tried to follow him as soon as I saw him, but man can he run. Hopefully he shows up again soon, maybe then I can get to the bottom of this.' He thought to himself as he slung on his black and white checkered shirt.

As he tugged on his collar to straighten it out, a knock came at his door. "Harry, your Mom's downstairs making you some breakfast. She's off work today, so she'll be around if you need her for anything. I've gotta go into the office early today, I'll probably be there all night too. The return of monsters hasn't been too good for the town or the businesses. Can't the monsters just go attack another place?" The deep and exhausted voice explained to the teen from the other side of the door.

"Alright Dad, though I don't think it works like that. Maybe they're after our town's famous cheeses, if they are we can safely say it's to die for." He jested to his father in response. As he heard footsteps moving away from his door, Harry also heard a small chuckle from his father to which he cracked a smile of his own.

After running a comb through his hair, Harry made his way downstairs into the kitchen. While it was a modest house, it was still rather pristine and barely lived in. With his father being an accountant and his mother a nurse, they were hardly ever around to make it a real home. Pulling out a chair, and sitting down to a plate of toast, Max pulled the local newspaper over to him, ready to read it with his morning meal. Interestingly enough, a blurry shot of the mysterious Redcloak was printed on the front page, accompanied by the title 'Cloaked criminal surfaces - In league with monsters?' Referring to the fact he had assaulted the rangers and that more reports of Redcloak attacking locals for seemingly no reason had surfaced since.

'Looks like this guy in the cloak is bad news. By now everyone's heard of how he took down the rangers. Hopefully that won't happen again, otherwise they really will be in trouble.' Harry thought to himself as he took a bite out of his toast. Thinking deeply for a moment, he turned his head to his mother who was waiting by the coffee machine. "Hey, Mom. Sometime this next week or so, I might be out looking into something. It's uh… for the school paper, so I might get in some time after your shift ends."

"That's fine Henry, I know you enjoy reporting for the school paper so take all the time you need." She replied to him with a smile. Despite him being grateful for her support, he couldn't help but groan too.

"Mom, you know I don't like being called Henry, I know it's my given name and everything, but I prefer Harry." He complained, expressing his displeasure in her using his proper name. 'At least I've got free reign of the town for a few hours so I can wait for the rangers to show up. Maybe I'll finally be able to figure out who the rest of them are.'

 **[The Undercroft]**

While the Archfiend Corrus recovered from the defeat he was handed, taking his time to prepare his next strategy for defeating the rangers, Shadai wandered the crypt halls searching for any sign of an adversary that could prove devastating to the rangers.

Turning into a chamber, all Shadai saw before him was a patch of dirt with what appeared to be a rotten pumpkin set down on it. Above it set a resonating ball of light.

'Ah, it seems that one of my servants was active all this time. So Shadai, what do you think, is it what you're looking for?' Came the voice of the Return from within Shadai's head.

"You have to tell me when you're present, you never know what I might be scheming, but why this one?" Shadai responded to the entity bonded with him.

'I have no concern for your futile schemes. Despite your inability to see true strength, this is Azur a malefic wisp with an appetite for making mortals suffer. The pain he can inflict on the mortals will be tremendous and the rangers won't be able to stop him because of his incorporeal state. Order him in any way you wish and soon enough the rangers will fall and pave the way for my return.' The return elaborated to Shadai as the latter eyed the wisp closely.

"Go, destroy those rangers already, I don't care how just do it." Shadai ordered, the wisp responding to him immediately.

The ethereal creature dove down into the rotten pumpkin, possessing it. The pumpkin rose from the ground, a malefic face carved into it, which only added to the intimidation factor when an infernal red fire began to burn inside of the possessed plant. As a final touch to the dark appearance, bulky green roots emerged from it, creating a further unsettling image as it floated out of the room at an unnatural pace.

"A wisp that has a will of it's own. I'm impressed that you managed to bind such a creature to your service." Shadai complimented the entity linked to him.

'As you will learn soon enough Shadai, everyone has a price. Some don't even know they've been paid it yet.' The Return commented as the room returned to darkness without the presence of the wisp.

 **[Kumiho's Lair]**

Sat at the edge of the cave pond was none other than the old god herself. Skimming her hand back and forth across the shallow pond, she sat idly as another figure entered the cave. The fires that illuminated the deeper chambers of the cave system revealed who the figure was as they advanced towards the far end of the main chamber. Light shining onto his clothing, brightening the scarlet rags he wore, revealed the figure to be Redcloak, who knelt down before Kumiho.

"I have returned from my scouting mission my Lady." He informed her as the Fox god rose and turned to face him.

"So, what did you find?" She asked, eying the swordsman with a passive expression.

"Undead reside within the deep woods not far from here. From the chatter between the underlings, it appears if these Power Rangers are hindering them at this time, yet their chief warrior has plans to change that. With how they talk about their goals, there is only one artifact that may bring about their victory, the one you are also looking for." He explained to her before she gestured for him to rise.

"I'm glad you are by my side again, it's been troubling for me to go this long without your aid. Even though I had to resort to distasteful means, I don't regret it now you're by my side. Before I can begin locating the means to find the artifact though, I need more magical energy. There's an abandoned grove not far from here. I can feel a powerful source of energy there, please bring it to me so we may continue to our goal." Kumiho told the swordsman before turning away and sighing. "Do watch yourself. If you exhaust your energy, the boy's life is at risk, in turn so will yours. I'd hate for you to disappear again old friend."

"I understand my Lady. I won't fail, now you're so close after so very long. I pledged my soul to you, so know when the time comes, I will be ready to give it for your cause."

"I hope that never comes. Now go, take whatever magic resides there and bring it to me, we must act with haste now." The old god commanded, Redcloak departing as soon as she had finished her sentence to act on the orders he had been given.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Intense rays of light from the midday sun shone in through the window of the school newspaper room, which was laden with notes and pages of drafts for previous and current article, casting down on most of the room. While it obscured a pair of inactive computers, the computer to the right of them was just out of the line of the light to be usable. At it sat Harry, a member of the school newspaper and the chief reporter on ranger activity. At the moment, he was currently typing out a new article on Castelan's most recent arrival, Redcloak. Having been given an image of the swordsman in his standoff with the rangers from a bystander who fled shortly after, which also happened to be a classmate, he had enough information to start reporting.

"Alright that should do it for this paragraph, better check my notes before I go any further." He said aloud. Since no one else was there, he could speak his mind freely as he worked away at his article.

No sooner than he had said that did another of his classmates enter the room in quite a panic. His classmate was a young girl with blonde hair and light yellow dress, slung around her neck was a camera and it appeared she had been running prior as she was now out of breath.

"Julie, what's up? I didn't know that you'd be swinging by today. Did one of the guys ask for some more photos for an article or something?" He asked the teen named Julie before studying the look on her face once more. "Wait a minute, you don't look so good, what happened?"

"Mon..Monster. In the woods… On the edge of school.. Me and Erica were taking pictures, it got hold of her and I ran away.." She explained in a pant, getting her breath back toward the edge.

Harry could hear the worry in her voice at the concern for the safety of her friend and could see she was regretting running away, but it was obviously a terrifying ordeal. "Alright. I'm guessing I'm the first person you came across that actually wants to help. You just stay here and calm down. I don't know what I can do about it, but I'll at least try. You just stay here. I'll come back to check up on you and I'll bring her back with me so don't worry." He told her with a sincere smile, somewhat easing the young photographer.

She gave a thankful smile and headed over to a spare seat as Harry got up out of his and made his way out of the door and through the building at a fast pace. He might not be a power ranger and he might have no chance against a monster, but he had to try something. At the least he could try and occupy the creature until the rangers arrived to deal with it, or at least he hoped they would.

Within minutes, Harry had managed to make his way to the edge of the woods, determined to do his best in the face of danger. When he reached the entrance to the woods, the sight before him caught him slightly by surprise.

Also standing at the edge of the woods were the Mythos rangers. They seem to be looking around into the dark woods as if scanning the area for something.

"You sure this' the place Vala? I can't see a thing. If you're playing a prank on us then you're gonna be sorry. I had to miss lunch for this!" Lexa groaned while threatening the yellow ranger.

"I'm pretty sure. That crazy photographer girl was yelling something about a monster in the woods taking away her friend." She explained as Harry neared, suspicious of the five the looked on into the woods.

"If that's true, then it's no laughing matter. Chances are there is a monster in there, we should go in there and check things out." Percy decided, taking charge of the situation.

"It makes sense that we do. Especially if there's anyone that might be in danger, we can't let anyone else get hurt because of us." Emlie added as they prepared to enter before they were halted by a voice from behind.

"Hey! Behind you!" Harry shouted as he came up to them, the five spinning around to see him stop just in front of them.

"Harry? Did you follow us out here?" Artemis asked, surprised to find him on their tail.

"One of my friends ran into the newspaper room in a panic, she said a monster took her friend while they were taking pictures in here. I came to see what I could to, maybe occupy the monster until the Mythos rangers could get here. So why are you guys here?" He explained to them, having no clue as to their real identities.

Each of them gave an awkward look to him as they stood there while trying to think up of a convincing lie to tell him and to try and get him to leave so that they could conduct their search without further risk.

Percy scratched his chin for a moment before speaking up, hoping his lie would be convincing enough since a part of it was in fact true. "Vala heard what your friend was saying and gathered us up to search for the other girl and try and do something about that monster if there was one. There's enough of us here to do it on our own. Maybe you should go back and comfort your friend some more. No offence Harry but it might be harder to get through the woods and find her if there's any more of us."

"I'm gonna go into that woods and make sure for myself regardless. If you guys don't need me tagging along I'll just go through first." He replied, ignoring their attempts to send him away.

Before he could do anything however, Artemis stepped forward with an angry look on her face. "We don't have time to be arguing!" She exclaimed as she raised her open hand and pointed it at Harry. "Sorry for this Harry but it's for your own good. Knockus Outus!" She chanted as a small pulse of magic came from her hand and hit Harry.

The resulting effect caused Harry to be knocked off of his feet and made him lose consciousness, leaving him out cold on the grass. Lexa and the the others looked on impressed at the strange new knockout spell she had learned, the former sniggering a little at the choice of words. "You really have to say that to perform a knockout spell? Whoever thought us of that wasn't too creative." She laughed while Artemis shot her a sharp look.

"You don't have to say the words, but making up a worded spell to go with it makes it more effective… I thought up of the words." She explained to her teammate while expressing her annoyance with Lexa's comment.

"Alright you two, don't start fighting. We've got a job to do remember. I'll just grab a flashlight from my bag so we can see where we're going. Things got darker all of a sudden in there…" Emlie told them as she rummaged around in her bag before feeling two strange objects. Pulling them out, she looked with confusion at what she held. "That's odd. Why is the black morpher and pendant in my bag. Did it fall in or something while we were there yesterday?"

Before any of that could be answered, a high pitched scream came from in the woods. There wasn't any time for waiting around now and the rangers began to sprint into the woods, following the scream.

"That sounds like there actually might be something in here. I'll bet ten bucks on what kinda monster it is if anyone else wants in." Vala said, trying to ease the tension as they raced through the woods.

"I only make bets that work in my favor. The last yellow ranger didn't catch onto that, I doubt you'd make that same mistake though." Lexa commented before they came to a large open space in the woods obscured overhead by a multitude of thick branches and a mass of leaves.

The collapsed body of the girl that had been caught was to the far end of the area and the terrifying visage of Azur inside of his pumpkin shell floated between the rangers and the civilian.

"Hey, at least this one isn't a zombie, right Emlie." Lexa remarked, lightly punching the white ranger on the shoulder.

"Then that means we've got nothing to worry about. Everyone?" Emlie cued, the five of them drawing their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!"

"Druidic Energies, Unleash!"

Morphing in a flash of energy, the rangers brandished their Legendary weapons and charged forward to battle the malefic wisp. Lexa drew back an arrow and fired it at Azur. It connected with the pumpkin shell and pierced through, but seemed to dematerialise when it made contact with the wisp essence residing within the pumpkin.

As the other rangers charged toward Azur and readied their own elemental attacks, the bulky green roots attached to the base of the floating pumpkin grew, lashing out like a whip, striking the rangers and knocking them to the floor. From there, Azur buried the roots into the ground, digging them in deep for a few moments before having them and numerous others burst out of the ground and begin to wrap around them. The roots continued to constrict around the rangers, forcing to demorph while the roots continued to constrict them, strangling the life out of them with every second.

While the rangers struggled fight back against the overwhelming power of the malefic wisp Azur, at the edge of the woods, Harry was slowly regaining consciousness. Giving a groan, Harry lifted himself off the ground and rubbed the back of his head.

"What happened? Did… Did I get knocked out?" He asked himself as he came back to his senses and realised what he was doing before Artemis used her magic to knock him out. Looking around, Harry noticed Emlie's bag, which she must had dropped when the rangers ran off in haste.

Crouching down, Harry took notice of the two items that had rolled out of the bag which were the amulet and morpher of the black Mythos ranger. "Huh, weird. It looks like it's one of the morphers the Mythos rangers have. I've never seen one before, but other people gave me some descriptions. Wait a minute… If there's a monster in there, and a discarded morpher in here… Chances are that the power rangers might be in trouble. I've got no idea what I can do, but if they are in trouble, I have to do something." He said to himself, deciding to run into the face of danger, regardless of the risks it posed to him.

Taking off, he kept the morpher in one hand and wrapped the amulet around his other hand. Making his way closer and closer to where the rangers were having the life slowly squeezed out of them by Azur. Leaping around a tree, he saw the five rangers in their civilian clothes struggling to breath. Looking at them, he saw who the rangers were. Then his eyes set on Artemis. 'That's why they didn't want me tagging along, I would've ended up getting in their way, but now they're in trouble.'

"H-Harry! Use the morpher… Get rid of this-s t-thing…" Artemis called out to him while struggling to breathe as the roots constricted around her neck.

From where he was stood, he took a deep breath in. 'Alright, I can do this.' He thought to himself before raising the morpher. "I've heard it enough times now, so let's just get right into this. Mythos Ignite!" He told himself before morphing into the Mythos black ranger. Taking a moment to look over the ranger suit he's never been able to see up close and personal before now, Harry noticed the axe Parashu in his hand.

From there, it clicked together and Harry leapt towards the roots, swinging the axe overhead and severing the roots constricting Artemis. Without any hesitation now he knew that the weapon would work against Azur's roots. Dashing around the area, Harry swung wildly with his axe, severing the roots as he went and freeing the rangers, who could now breath steadily. After freeing the rangers Harry charged forward, ready to destroy what he presumed to be only a floating pumpkin. Jumping up, Harry brought the axe over his head and tore through the pumpkin that Azur had been manipulating, immobilizing the malefic wisp.

Giving a cheer, Harry thought that the wisp was destroyed, though when the red wispy essence remained, it caught him by surprise. As he froze unsure what to do from here, Artemis walked up from behind.

"Thanks for the rescue back there and for the record, I'm sorry I knocked you out earlier, but you kinda needed it. I'll take it from here. There's something I've been needed to try out for a while and I'm pretty sure whatever this thing is won't be able to survive it. Here goes nothing." She told him before stepping forward and channeling a heavy concentration of magic, to which Harry's eyes widened in surprise at what she was doing.

Channeling the spell for a few more seconds, she took a breath of air in before firing out the bright magic projectile that seemed to split off into multiple smaller projectiles seconds later. "Magic Missile!" She exclaimed, using the words as a spoken spell to further channel her magic and make the spell hit.

Within moments the spell struck Azur, lighting the malefic wisp up and engulfing it in a magical explosion. As the spell died down, Artemis breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that it had completely obliterated the wisp. As she did so, Harry demorphed, his mouth agape from her display of her magical power.

"What just happened? How did you even do that?" He asked, the surprise not leaving his face.

"Well, to put it in simple terms, I'm a witch." She explained to him, causing Harry's face to switch from surprised to shocked.

"I get the feeling there's more I'm not being told about." He said as the rest of the team regrouped.

"We'll tell you all about it, don't worry." Percy informed him as he looked at the teen, impressed with how he had handled himself against Azur.

"We're a ranger short right now. So if you wanna become our next black ranger, we'd be happy to have you." Emlie elaborated, to which Harry's face lit up in delight.

"Wow, that sounds amazing. I've admired you all for saving the town over and over. I'm flattered you want me on your team, so yeah, It'd be an honour."

"Alright, we've got nearly a full team again. Now, Harry there's a rule about new rangers. When you join, for the first week I get all of your lunches." Lexa told him, an obvious lie to the others, but Harry didn't know them all well enough to know any better.

"You never told me about that when I joined up, are you just trying to get free lunches or something Lexa?" Vala asked, to which the pink ranger quickly scowled.

"There goes that plan" She mumbled to herself as her stomach gave a small growl.

"She's just messing with you, though I'd better watch your food now if I was you, otherwise you'll be going hungry a lot." Percy added with a chuckle.

"Either way, I'm finally glad to not be in the dark anymore." Harry added. Now that Harry had officially become the black ranger, the rangers were almost at full strength and were ready to surprise Corrus the next time he fought against them. But not one of them knew of what was yet to come…

 **|Mythos|**

 **Alright that's chapter 50 finally done. While technically it hit 50 in the previous chapter, the story's officially reached the big milestone. I've been looking back on some of the older stuff recently just to see how far the story has come and how much I've improved over the course of the series and I'm happy with how far it's come since the beginning until now. Now we're here, the story's getting into the home stretch for finishing. Don't worry though there's still a fair amount of chapters yet and I'm pretty pleased with the plots I have going into it and I think you'll enjoy reading it too, fair warning though, things might get a little confusing but it'll make sense when everything falls into place.**

 **The chapter here was a little jokey here and there, kinda in the spirit of tomorrow, but overall I enjoyed writing this one and all the different bits and pieces to it. With that said, I'm gonna make up for spending a really long time on making this chapter and there should be a fair few updates in the coming week. So until then, thanks for reading.**

 **Next Chapter: The Six Liches**

 **Synopsis: Corrus has finalised his plan to defeat the rangers. Raising six Liches clad in strangely familiar attire, he sets them upon the rangers and they prove to be a near perfect counter to each of them. Will they manage to come out on top or will the Archfiend's tactical thinking prevail? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	52. Chapter 51: The Six Liches

Ch51: The Six Liches

Deep within the undercroft the Archfiend marched. Close behind him marched a detachment of soldiers, which he was leading through the complex. Soon enough, Corrus halted as he and the Undead warriors entered a spacious chamber. The dirt ridden white stone lined the walls and floor as the Undead soldiers observed the room. Opposite the six soldiers stood a sarcophagus for each of them. The large stone tombs appeared to be sealed shut, while circles with strange symbols had been drawn on the floor with chalk, yet they were old and worn, barely visible to the Undead that neared them.

The Archfiend eyed the circles and then his warriors. "This is the place. Open their caskets at once." He commanded, omitting one detail as the Undead advanced toward the stone coffins.

As each Undead entered the worn chalk circle, they froze, unable to move no matter how hard they might try. Within moments, a purple-ish energy erupted from the circles and symbols. Each warrior now trapped within the circles, which now radiated energy, cried out in pain as their bodies began dissolving before Corrus' eyes as the malevolent leader smirked.

"So they've accepted the sacrifice." He mumbled to himself as he fixed his gaze upon the sealed caskets. "Six unholy liches! I offer these worthless souls to you so that you may be reborn! Rise up once more and serve the master in his quest to purify all before us! Tuzzak, Mobrux, Odzir, Jarcal, Skajon and Malzu. I call your names to unleash you from the prison that is death, now come forth and unleash death upon this land!" Corrus recited as the energy of each circle seemed to be absorbed by a sarcophagus.

One by one, they unsealed, the covers collapsing to the ground and smashing with heavy thuds. As the final one broke open, the dark energy that had been absorbed now hovered inside the containers, yet they appeared to be taking new forms with each passing second.

While Corrus stood patiently, the energy finally took the form of humans before dispersing, revealing a sight that would strike fear into anyone other than the Archfiend himself.

While torn black robes shrouded most of their bodies, dark metal gauntlets emerged past the rough sleeves, each one of them equipped with a set of claws that had been fused into the armour. The only other features present were the unsettling pair of chaotic glowing eyes under each of their hoods.

One of the summoned Liches stepped forwards, addressing the Undead Commander who had called upon them. "I am Odzir, strongest of my kin and you are the one who has called our names and brought us to this deathly place. You promise death to this world with our aid but if you want it, you must convince us that we should follow your master. Otherwise you will leave us to wreak our own revenge on this world." The Lich known as Odzir spoke.

Corrus disregarded the Undead Lich as he stood there with his arms folded. In a matter of moments, the six newly revived beings collapsed to the ground and clutched their heads as the writhed in agony, a familiar dark aura surrounding them. In each of their heads the same voice could be heard, the unsettling laughter of the Return. 'Foolish mages, even after cheating death for a second time you wish to follow the same self destructive path that led you to your untimely end before all this. As much as the chaos that would ensue if you were to attack the mortals would help my goals, it would be pointless. Without my direction and my power the world would still stand. So tell me Odzir, you appear to speak for your kin, what is your answer? Will you follow me and destroy this pathetic world, or will I have to exert my energy and destroy all of you?'

Odzir growled as he attempted in vain to resist the overwhelming energy being brought upon him. "H-How are… you in… our heads!?" He spoke out, still struggling to stand against the destructive force.

'It's simple, the Archfiend summoned you in my name, no matter how much you may struggle, you all belong to me now. Now kneel before the eternal darkness that consumes all before it, kneel before your new master, kneel before the Return!' The chaotic entity commanded, exerting more of his power upon the six Liches.

One by one, they fell to their knees, losing their battle against the strength of the entity until Odzir, the final Lich, fell to his knees. "We obey your will… Master…"

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Despite the lunch break having started ten minutes ago, the students in the lunchroom sat in a slump with miserable looks on their faces. When heading in, they were informed that there was no food as the door to the kitchen had been left open and it was likely that an animal had somehow gotten in and ate everything there, leaving the students starving. Artemis rested her head against the metal table she sat at while her stomach growled. Opposite her, Harry sat with a brown paper bag, feeling guilty that he had lunch from home while most of the other students had to starve.

He pulled out a sandwich before speaking up. "Hey you want some of my lunch Artemis? You're looking a little down." He offered, to which the young witch shook her head.

"I'll be fine, I was just looking forward to todays menu, they were serving pizza, and no it's all gone. It's sad too because pizza helps a lot with replenishing my mana, guess if we do have to fight today I'll not be much good." She moaned as Harry waved his sandwich around.

"Honestly, every time you talk about that magic business there's always another weird and random thing to it. Can't you magic up some grub?" He asked, to which she shook her head. "Well, if there is a spell for that, good luck finding it. Strange thing about all this though is that even if a wild animal got into the kitchen, I don't think it could eat all that food."

Artemis sat up straight and looked behind the black ranger before giving an annoyed sigh. "I can think of one thing that could've pulled that off."

Harry brought the hand he had been holding his sandwich in without looking and bit down, only for his teeth to clash together. "Huh? Where'd my sandwich go!?" He asked, surprised that his sandwich seemed to have disappeared completely in a matter of seconds.

Quickly sitting down at the other side of his was none other than Lexa, who appeared to have her mouth full as she finished eating something. "Hey you two!" She cheered, barely understandable while her mouth was full.

"If you haven't figured it out yet Harry, Lexa stole your sandwich and she's eating right now." Artemis added, prompting Harry to laugh.

"Well, considering most other people haven't eaten today, I guess it's fine if Lexa has one of my sandwiches." He replied, oblivious to what Artemis had already figured out.

Harry reached for his lunch bag, only to find that it was missing. A quick scan of the room revealed that Lexa had taken that too and was now eating her way through it's contents. "Wait, you've got chocolate pudding in here too, alright!" The pink ranger exclaimed in excitement as she dug into the dessert.

Harry glanced at Artemis who gave a shrug. "you did get warned, take your eyes off your food for one second while she's around and you'll not get to eat. Speaking of not getting to eat, if you haven't guessed yet, it wasn't an animal that got into the kitchen, it was something much worse."

"Really? What got in and ate everything then, I was thinking if anything it would be a bear." Harry commented as the Dryad ranger glanced over to their other friend.

"Trust me, when it comes to eating, not even a grizzly bear can match her appetite. You see, any chance she gets, Lexa goes for food, regardless of whether or not it's hers. Trust me, my brother learned that the hard way." She explained, revealing that the kitchen culprit was none other than their pink ranger.

Harry gave a small laugh. "I doubt someone like Lexa could eat so much."

Artemis reached over and place her hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, there's nobody on this earth that can eat like she can, I doubt even terrible cooking could stop her in her tracks."

"Come on, you and the others are exaggerating about it right? I'll believe what you're saying when I see it, besides, she didn't take much from me, she can't be that bad."

"If you wanna starve, go ahead and don't believe me or the others. We did warn you after all." She said before pulling back and holding back a laugh as she looked over at Lexa.

The pink ranger was now rubbing her hands together as she set her sights on the black ranger. 'Looks like I just found the next person I'm gonna take food from.'

As they sat there chatting, moving on from the topic of how much of a food thief Lexa was, Artemis' phone buzzed. Unfortunately the time for rest had ended, the Undead forces were launching a new attack on the town.

"We've gotta get going, there's some Undead that need dealing with. Hope your stomach's full Harry, it's gonna be a tough fight." Artemis teased as they headed off to deal with the new threat, unaware of the new challenge they would be presented with.

 **[Castelan Town Centre]**

Making their way to the site of the latest Undead incursion after meeting up with the rest of their teammates, the rangers arrived in a deserted town centre. At this time of day, the place was bustling with activity, even when they were being attacked, there were still civilians fleeing. The strangeness of the silence unsettled the rangers as they looked around, unable to find a trace of the Undead horde.

"Guess Corrus got wise and gave up before he ended up being destroyed too." Percy suggested as he loosened up because of the lack of a foe to fight.

"I'd like to think that too, but you know how that guy is. Every time he fights us, it gets harder and he always fights differently. We got lucky that he wasn't there last time, we should keep on our guard." Emlie warned them as she scoped out the area, looking for any sign of the Archfiend and his Undead.

Artemis gave a sigh. "But there's nobody here, are you sure we can't go. I haven't eaten anything since this morning and I'm starving."

Percy smirked and flicked her forehead. "If that's the case you should've gone to a vending machine in school, I know Lexa got into the kitchen and everything, but she's too cheap to eat from one and can't really smash the glass to clean it out."

"You mean I didn't have to starve today?" She whimpered.

"Come on you two, get a grip and keep an eye out for these Undead, who knows when they could spring out of the ground." Vala decreed, surprising the others with her sudden seriousness.

"Well hate to contradict you here, but I'm pretty sure I know when they are." Harry cut in as he pointed to a spot on the ground as chaotic energy began to rise up and take form.

Both the Liches under the Return's command and Corrus appeared before the rangers. The latter bore a confident and unsettling smirk as he addressed the rangers. "We meet again mortals. Allow me to introduce you to your doom. Reveal yourselves to them!" He greeted, his latter sentence having been directed towards the Liches under his command.

In one synchronised motion, the Liches removed their dark robes to reveal their full appearance to the rangers. From head to toe, they were covered in dark metal armour with a rough shape to it and spikes on the feet, knees, shoulders and elbows. Their helmets bore some form of a knightly visage with unnatural purple energy radiating from the visors. Holstered in scabbards of a similar aesthetic were swords which also bore spikes at the hilt. One by one they removed their blades which appeared to radiate with different energy. The strangest part about the weapons though was the fact that each form of energy corresponded with the colour of one of the rangers.

Percy, Lex and Emlie's eyes widened in surprise when they looked at the six Knightly Liches before them. "Am I the only one seeing this? Their armour it looks exactly like…" Percy began as the pink ranger interrupted.

"Like the Shadow Crusader. How's that even make sense!?"

"Lancelot's form while he was cursed. It was a while back that's for sure. He told us how it happened. After he sealed away a corrupt entity, his armour and everything became like that. Looks like that thing that managed to corrupt him is still around somewhere. We can't deal with them like we did him, but we'll still go all out. Everyone ready?" Emile asked, while still confused as to some of the details she had given, Vala, Harry and Artemis nodded as the six rangers readied their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" They called, morphing in a flash of vibrant energy before calling upon their Legendary weapons.

Corrus laughed as they prepared to charge at his new warriors. "Fools, these are the Lich Knights. Unholy warlocks that have been enhanced by the dark power of my master. Each of their weapons is imbued with powerful magic that can cancel out whatever you might throw at them. Try to defeat them and you will fall. Behold rangers, this is the ultimate victory!"

"Like we're gonna let that happen, everyone, I think it's time we use the last trick we've got against these guys." Percy suggested, dumbfounding the yellow and black rangers. "Just follow along you two." He added as the others raised their weapons to the sky.

"Legends Aegis!" the four called, followed on by their new additions as the silver armour formed around their bodies.

"Wow, this' pretty cool, why don't we use this all the time?" Vala asked as she and Harry checked the armour out.

"To be honest, I forgot we even had this armour. Either way these Lich Knight's won't know what hit 'em." Artemis replied, confident now that they would wipe out their new foes.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's get in there!" Harry exclaimed, over eager as he charged in without thinking, swinging his axe toward them.

Odzir, the Lich Knight holding a blade radiating with green energy looked to one of the other Lich Knights. "Skajon, deal with him." He commanded, the Knight who nodded in response darted forward, his blade radiating a black energy.

In one swift blow, Skajan knocked Parashu away and struck down Harry's body with the magically infused blade, taking the black ranger to the ground as the Aegis dispelled.

"Huh… How'd he take me down like that with one blow?" Harry asked as the other five Lich Knights darted forwards without warning and struck the rangers that corresponded with the colour of the energy their weapon radiated.

In mere moments, the rangers had gone from wielding some of the strongest weapons that legends told of and wearing a seemingly impenetrable armour set to recoiling on the ground and knocked out of their powered state as the Lich Knights stood over them.

"Each of you, finish them, drive your blades into the rangers and prove your worth to the Return!" Corrus commanded, giving the rangers the name of his master in the process, not that he believed it mattered now.

"Very well. Strike them my brothers." Odzir commanded as they raised their blades and pointed them down, ready to end the rangers where they now lie.

Thrusting them down, the sound of steel clashing with steel rang through the area. Each of the Lich Knights stepped back from the rangers, having been caught by surprise by a new arrival at the last second. One who had managed to block each of their deathblows simultaneously.

"Who goes there!?" Corrus asks, both surprised and infuriated that his plans had been foiled.

Each of the rangers slowly made their way to their feet as they saw who was standing towards them. Someone that surprised them all. Pointing his blade towards the six Lich Knights was none other than Redcloak, the masked swordsman that had fought both sides prior to today.

"I am Redcloak, swordsman and servant of Lady Kumiho. You are the undead forces that seek to destroy this world and eventually every other world correct?" He introduced himself to the Undead commander, who snarled at the cloaked warrior.

"You're correct, soon enough I will free my master completely, he will rise and consume this realm and all other realms!" Corrus declared, resulting in Redcloak gripping his sword tightly.

"I can't allow that. Your goals will never come to fruition, I'll make sure of it." Redcloak declared as he darted forwards with his unnatural speed towards Corrus and the Lich Knights.

While the Warlocks held their ground, raising their blades defensively to ward off the attack, it wasn't enough. With one swift blow, the superior swordsman struck each of the Knights, wounding them greatly as his weapon pierced their armour.

Odzir and his kin dropped to one knee as they growled, reacting to the blow. "We can't fight in this condition, he has pierced our armour and our essence is leaking. We must retreat before he can do any more damage!"

Corrus growled once more. "Very well." He replied, joining them before turning to the cloaked swordsman. "This isn't over Redcloak. When next we meet it will be you who falls, I'll make sure of it myself." The Archfiend threatened as he and his wounded Lich Knights retreated into the ground.

"Get back here you cowards!" Redcloak yelled in a fit of anger as he darted forwards as quickly as he could to reach them before they left, but to no avail as his sword cut through only air.

The rangers reverted to their civilian forms as they walked up to Redcloak, the swordsman turning to them and pointing his blade at them. "Hold on, Redcloak, we don't want to fight. You want to stop them just like we do. We've got a mutual enemy, so we should be allies instead of fighting each other." Emlie told him, the swordsman sheathing his weapon.

"I can't make that decision. Only my Lady can decide to ally with you. Regardless I shall bring her your offer."

Artemis put her finger to her chin for a moment before speaking up. "So if you don't mind me asking, why are you fighting them? I doubt it's to stop them from destroying the world like we are, so what's in it for you?"

"It's a complicated answer to give. To put it simply, your world isn't the only one in danger should they succeed. As they said, their master wishes to consume everything. All life in every world. To free him and complete this goal, they would need an artifact of unimaginable power. My Lady also seeks this artifact, but her reasons are more personal and they pose no danger to this world." He briefly summed as the red gem in the hilt of his blade began to glow brightly once more. 'Damn. I've used up a dangerous amount of energy again. I need to leave now and recover, before we're both at risk.' He thought before turning away from the rangers and speaking once more. "Be careful when facing these foes, the power they possess is unlike anything you've faced and I fear those Knights are built specifically to counter your own power. I will return when they attack to finish them, until then farewell." He finished before sprinting off, far slower than he had been when making his entrance and while fighting.

As the six rangers stood there, processing what he had said, Artemis' phone rang. Picking it up and listening, her eyes widened. "It happened again!? Alright, I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can." She replied before taking off in a sprint, much to the surprise to the others.

As she ran, the Dryad ranger thought over what had happened, noting how in both battles, time appeared to be short for Redcloak who moved quickly off as soon as he could. Both times after he had fled, she had gotten the same call. Her brother had spontaneously gone into shock and his heart rate had increased to dangerous levels. Though she wasn't certain, she wondered if the two events were connected and i there was more to Redcloak than there appeared to be.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 51. Some of this I wasn't too sure on so adding the scene where they debate Lexa and her eating 'talents' was just a bit of what was going through my head for filler at the time. Either way, this was about introducing a new set of villains who are gonna be one of the last hurdles of the series and then setting some plot points up. I've brought back the theme of the Shadow Crusader from really early in the series with the Lich Knights and finally made the connection between that and the current villain since I have been planning for this to come around for a long while now. Redcloak's explanation of why he and Kumiho are against the Undead is also hinting towards the final large arc that's starting after the next chapter. For a bit of a hint, it's gonna involve one final grand quest to some places I think everyone will enjoy. Other than that, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **There's still quite a bit to go, but I will be wrapping Mythos up in the next month or so since I'm gonna put more time into it now. Still, I'm gonna tackle it at my own pace so bear with me as I go. All that said, thanks for reading.**

 **Next Chapter: Soul Bind**

 **Synopsis: Now prepared for Redcloak interfering, Corrus leads the Lich Knights to battle both him and the rangers, to defeat both his enemies in one attack. Can they defeat the foes or will they fall to the tactical might of the Archfiend, what other revelations are in store for the Mythos rangers? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	53. Chapter 52: Soul Bind

Ch52: Soul Bind

Within her brother's hospital room, Artemis Domino sat. As she sat there watching the comatose ranger, she appeared to be in deep thought. It had been a while since Abaddon had met his end and the ranger fell into his current state. Since then his situation had remained the same, only when Redcloak had appeared on the battlefield did it worsen momentarily.

After a few minutes of silent thought, she finally decided to speak up, even if it was to fall on deaf ears. "To be honest Aaron, I was starting to think you might never wake up, maybe you won't in the end, at least now there's some chance you might. That Redcloak. He doesn't stay for too long and when he does, he's always off in a rush. Right after he's gone I get a call saying you weren't doing too well. It can't be a coincidence right? Even for somebody like me it's not that hard to see. Don't worry though, I might not look too reliable and that might be true most of the time, I'm gonna talk to Redcloak about this. If he's any part of this, I'll make sure to put things right." She said to him in a much more focused and serious tone than she usually did, putting on a brave face despite the fear of it being for nothing encroaching in the corner of her mind. Having finished voicing her thoughts, the ranger stood up and gave his hand a small squeeze. "I'll see you soon." She added before departing.

As the ranger left, what appeared at first glance to be a young female doctor entered the hospital room. With long wavy black hair and fair skin, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the doctor now eying his unconscious form. That is unless they saw the eyes of this figure. Unmistakably the eyes of the trickster god herself, the form she had taken to gain access inconspicuously this time paced up and down the hospital room as she kept her unnerving gaze locked on him.

"You know ranger, this has been an interesting few months. First I help you defeat Abaddon by using up a great deal of my energy on that weapon. Then, I take your soul in exchange. With that, you provided me with the keystone to return my servant to this world. Now he proposes that I ally with your mortal friends to stop this 'Return' from destroying everything here. I'll be honest, I don't care about your world or you mortals. As a Divine being it wouldn't effect me in the slightest if all of it was destroyed." She explained before sitting down on the bed, staring with curiosity at the Templar ranger.

"What I do concern myself with is my servant. He's been by my side through the ages, ever since I came to this world. He's shown nothing but devotion, even when my orders were questionable. Now he asks I leave him behind and put my hopes in you and the other mortals. Why should I though? To give up the only human I can trust for the sake of a nobody is out of the question." She decided as her features hardened. "The only way I'd ally myself with the weak and unreliable humans of this world would be if there was no one left to turn to. So that's that, my rage seems to have been vented by ranting at this soulless husk. I believe it's time we leave." Kumiho added, turning to a second figure in the room, one that had managed to keep his presence concealed for a while.

Stepping out from the shadows Redcloak nodded. "I understand my lady, but please, I have watched those that care about the boy. Each day it tears them apart inside that they can't do anything to save him. Consider my request once more please. I am in no condition to fight those forces, the humans have a better chance of victory, but not without being made whole first. Besides, I have spent long enough like this, it's time you start to trust others again my lady." Redcloak protested, the gem in the hilt of his sword beginning to resonate as he neared Kumiho and Aaron.

Kumiho stood up and made her way to the swordsman. "I stand by what I said. It's a last resort. The only reason I came here was to explain to you why that is, these mortals are a means to an end and useless once used up. Now, let us leave this place before I lose my temper with you. I know you still care about this inferior species, but they won't matter soon. For the sake of our goals, leave it be."

Redcloak bowed his head. "I apologise if I've upset you my lady, let us be off." He apologised quickly as the old god departed, Redcloak glancing at the ranger briefly before departing behind his mistress.

 **[The Undercroft]**

Inside the bowels of the spanning crypt, the Undead Archfiend and his six Lich Knights stood in a far more unique chamber than most in the complex. Inside stood a large and ancient forge, the embers burned brightly as the Archfiend waited patiently, the Liches now under his charge paced the room. Each of them appeared to be unhappy with having to wait until their weapons were ready. While their armour had been repaired and improved to withstand the strikes Redcloak was capable of, their weapons were still being tempered along with Corrus' weapon. To make sure that victory was certain this day, he wasn't allowing himself or his warriors to falter, whether it was offensively or defensively, to him, this was the battle to eradicate both threats to his master's plans once and for all.

The Lich Knight Tuzzak paced impatiently as their weapons were improved, his blackened armour bore a navy blue trimming to it, which would be barely visible if not for the light given off by the forge. "When are we to return to the surface? I've had enough of hiding here in this tomb! Let us fight the mortals there already, I have a score to settle with that swordsman!" He exclaimed, infuriated by the waiting they had to go through before they were unleashed once more.

Skajon, the Lich clad in a completely black armour turned towards his volatile comrade. "I understand your need for battle, yet we must wait. The Archfiend knows what is best, if we are to defeat that swordsman before we destroy this world, then I suggest we listen and wait until our weapons are prepared." He advised, ceasing the pacing of his fellow Lich with his words.

Another of the Liches, their armour trimmed with pink gave a snort before speaking in a feminine voice. "Like that swordsman is a problem for any of us, especially for someone with my talents. I'll make sure he fears the name Malzu before he draws his last breath."

Odzir, now sporting a green trimming to his dark armour shook his head, his arms remaining folded. "That swordsman took each of us by surprise, now we know the speed at which he fights, we know not to hold back. Just to be sure, we're getting an upgrade. Despite each of our talents, it will take everything to defeat him, so in the meantime prepare yourselves. First we'll destroy Redcloak and those puny rangers. Then we'll burn this world to ash."

 **[The Dragon Juice Bar]**

Being the weekend, the rangers had retired to their usual hangout and sat in a booth as George set a tray of drinks down for the rangers. Emlie promptly thanked the owner as he returned to his place behind the counter. Ever since their fast defeat at the hands of the Lich Knights, they had been searching for a way to defeat the new foes, but so far there appeared to be no solution.

Percy gave a defeated sigh as he slumped his head on the table. "I guess this is that one fight we might not be able to win right? I was over helping Jamie look these guys up, see if they have a weakness we can exploit. We couldn't find a thing though. Maybe if Aaron was still around they might not be able to stand up to seven of us, but I don't see that happening any time soon. We could ask that other ranger though, the one with the plane. I don't really like the guy myself, I guess it couldn't hurt giving them a surprise like him though."

Emlie and Lexa shook their heads at the thought. "I think it'd be best if we didn't, after all he's really creepy when he's around women." Emlie replied, prompting the curiosity of the three other rangers, who had yet to encounter this unsavory character.

"There can't really be another power ranger out there as bad as that, right?" Artemis asked, oblivious as to who she was talking about.

"Trust me, if he does show up some time in the future, I'll give you a heads up, he's really bad news after all." Lexa added, taking a sip of her drink.

"Wow, hard to believe there's some creepy weirdo out there with ranger powers, god knows what he might be up to half of the time. At least the rangers I know are pretty good guys." Harry added while Vala thought about what kind of person could possibly be that bad.

"My cousin was saying that he was working over in Vicdon from time to time for the ranger operation there, something about giant insects. I didn't really pay attention, but it grossed me out. Maybe he knows that ranger, since they both have planes. Can't be Welkin though, he's always telling me about the cool adventures he's been on and he isn't really that kind of person." Vala explained, holding a more idolized opinion of Welkin Stross than the others did due to her relation to him.

At that, the three rangers who knew Welkin's identity as that very ranger had to hold back a snigger, surely she was joking with them, they thought as the six sat there. Even their conversation had entered an interesting subject and now all three were dying to tell the ranger's to Vala just to see what might happen, it was quickly cut short by smoke rising near the High School. Each ranger quickly caught a glance at the smoke, their expressions shifting as they rose and rushed to the scene of what was likely to be their next battle with the Liches.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

While the school itself appeared to be untouched, the field which Harry played soccer on appeared to have been devastated. What was once a flat surface for playing the ball game now looked to have been destroyed by mortar shells with large impact holes and scorched earth littering the area. Though they had come to the area morphed and their faces were obscured by their helmets, the wide eyes expression under Harry's helmet was obvious still.

"They destroyed the soccer field. Those monsters, we were set for a game on Wednesday." The black ranger commented as the six Lich Knights led by Corrus.

Meeting them half way, the rangers stood facing their dark counterparts, tension building between the two sides.

"So, should we wait around for Redcloak? I mean it's pretty uneven right now and we've got time to decide who's in goal too." Percy suggested jokingly as the Liches and Corrus stood silently, not recognising the humour. "Hey, I play the game from time to time too and Lexa shouldn't be the only one to crack all the jokes."

"Yeah but when she does it it's not when we're staring down these guys." Harry responded as the Archfiend growled.

"You rangers infuriate me. How I ever failed to wipe you away is a mystery but for now we wait. I want that foolish swordsman in my grasp. I'll crush him first then wipe you mortals from the face of this accursed earth." The Archfiend explained to them, tilting his head slightly away from the rangers as he felt the wind shift. "He's here." Corrus signalled to the Undead knights who unsheathed their enchanted weapons in response.

Within seconds, the blur that was Redcloak dashed towards the Knights with the expectation to take each of them down in one strike just as he did previously. Just as quickly however, Malzu matched his speed and clashed blades with him, stopping Redcloak in his tracks, much to his surprise.

Malzu cackled as she pushed back with her blade knocking the swordsman out of his stance. "Surprised? You're in for a world of pain now!"

Redcloak grunted as he regained his footing and placed his blade ahead of him, holding it with both hands. "It appears as if you've improved and can keep up with my speed now. I would admire you if you weren't my foes. Make no mistake, I don't plan on falling to the likes of you today." Redcloak declared as he leant forwards and maneuvered once more with impressive speed.

Without another word, the Liches moved to intercept each of the blows directed at them by the red clad warrior, not one of them failing to block his attacks despite the unnatural speed at which he moved. Redcloak skidded to a halt before the rangers, Redcloak in his gaze as he panted. The red gem inside his sword once again resonated with bright red light as he pointed it toward Corrus.

"What's wrong? Did your mistress not empower you to handle the real strength of the Lich Knights? What a foolish warrior you are. Come at me if you dare, I doubt you'll be able to scratch my armour." Corrus coaxed, Redcloak's features hardening under his hood.

Without a thought for the strain this prolonged battle was putting on him, he darted forward, but he appeared slower, allowing the Archfiend to parry the attacks with ease. Redcloak gave a yell, swinging heavily with his sword, a foolish decision in the eyes of his foe. Knocking the sword to the side, Corrus lunged with his accursed blade, piercing the side of the swordsman. Redcloak gave an agonised yelp as he coughed up blood from behind his facemask. Holding his side, he retreated, standing just ahead of the rangers and leaning towards his wounded side. As he tried to recover as best he could from the wound he had just been dealt, the Lich Knights took position beside the Archfiend.

"It looks as if even you were inadequate to stop us, Redcloak. I'm certain your mistress would be displeased with your failure. Unfortunately for you, neither you or the rangers will be leaving here alive. Any last words?" Corrus asked, confident in his victory.

"In fact I do. Rangers, I have something to confess to you." He said, turning to face the six behind him, tense from watching the declining situation. "I have lived far longer than any human should. My mistress most recently used a Soul Bind to bring me back. It's no accident that your friend was placed into a coma. My Lady captured the soul of your friend inside a gem which my soul also resides in. From there I was recreated and the only way I exist in this form is by connecting my soul and his, sapping his life force for a time when I fight. I wished there to be another way to serve my Lady but there wasn't one. I apologise, but please, when my Lady comes to you give her a chance, she deserves that much at least." He explained, surprising and shocking the rangers with the revelation of his connection to their fallen friend. "You might be asking why you should. You'll understand that soon. As a show of good faith though, when this battle ends, pick up the gem and give it to the boy, the effects won't disappoint. Now rangers, take care of my Lady when I'm gone, I hope what I do here can start to make up for the injustice my being has caused." Redcloak finished as he pointed his blade at Corrus and began channeling all of the energy he could muster into the weapon, the gem in the hilt glowing brighter than ever.

"He appears to be done with his little speech, very well, let us be done with this." Corrus stepped forward, readying his blade.

Redcloak sprinted at the Archfiend, halting a foot away before pointing the blade toward his stomach. "You may think me a fool Corrus, but in the end this darkness that you will serve will fall before the light. Despite everything I've done, I hope that is what waits for me in the end. Now let's finish this!" He exclaimed as he lunged the fully charged blade into his stomach, lighting his body up with the energy of his weapon, which appeared to surge and build up to an even greater extent.

"He's overloading his body with power, he's gonna explode!" Corrus warned, yet he was too late, Redcloak's dying body had bloated, energy spilling out as it exploding, sending a huge blast over the area, completely enveloping Corrus and the Lich Knights and knocking the rangers off of their feet.

When the rangers made it to their feet, the blast had subsided, yet it had knocked them out of their morphed state. Looking for any sign of their foes, they noticed that the Lich Knights' armour was scorched and they struggled to rise to their feet. Eventually making their way from the ground, the six gathered around the Archfiend who was still down on the ground. Having been closest to the ground, his armour along with his exposed flesh had been completely burned and the Undead commander now writhed in agony.

Odzir clenched his fists. "We weren't prepared for such a suicidal move by the swordsman. Our armour is destroyed and the Return's enforcer is on the verge of expiring. We must retreat for now, but we'll return to finish off these rangers soon enough." He explained, the six grouping around the burned form of the Archfiend before sinking into the ground to return to the undercroft.

Still trying to take in what Redcloak had told them before sacrificing himself, most of the rangers stood silently. Artemis however walked forward to a piece of the ground that hadn't been destroyed by the blast where the bright red teardrop shaped gem upon a chain, that Kumiho had once held and had been keeping Redcloak alive, sat.

Crouching down and taking the item, Artemis inspected it closely. Within seconds she could feel the powerful energy that radiated from it. From what she could understand, Redcloak was telling the truth, but only doing as he said would reveal if it would return her brother.

 **[Castelan General]**

Having made their way to Aaron's hospital room, the moment of truth was upon them. With the other rangers gathered around the bed in anticipation, hoping that what the fallen swordsman had said was true, Artemis held the gemstone in her hand. Taking a deep breath in she looked to the others.

"Here we go everyone." She said, placing the gem around his neck.

Waiting as the seconds went by without any change in his state, the rangers belief that Redcloak was speaking the truth began to drop. As they were about to give up though, the gem around Aaron's neck began to glow with an intense red light for a few moments before subsiding. When it did, the eyelids of the sleeping ranger slowly began to open, much to everyone's surprise.

His vision slowly returning to him, the newly awakened Templar ranger woke to the sight of the six rangers watching with concerned looks on their faces. "Huh? What's everyone standing around me for? Vala and someone else too. This is kind of like that dream I was having before I woke up."

"What dream was that, it's gotta be pretty crazy right, seeing as all this was because of magic." Lexa asked as Aaron sat up and tried to get their bearings.

"Well it was like everything that's usually going on, except we were Japanese and everything had different names, including the monsters that attacked and it got pretty interesting for a while there too. I don't understand it but at least I'm back to normal things, right?" He asked, oblivious to the time he'd been gone and the new threat that had arose in his absence.

"Aaron…" Artemis started, with a sigh, trying to break it to him as best she could. "After the demons got wiped out, a lot of things changed. You've been in a coma for months now. We'll tell you everything when you're ready, but we're glad you're back." She briefly explained to him.

Without word of warning the white ranger leapt in and hugged the recovering ranger tightly, burying her face into his chest for a few moments. "Don't ever leave me like that again." She mumbled without letting go of him.

Aaron returned the hug and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I don't plan to any time soon. And I'm sorry, for being stupid before and going off on my own. I'll try not to do that again." He said, addressing all of the rangers he knew of.

"I guess you learned your lesson, but I'm glad you're back bud, no rush but we're gonna need you soon." Percy told him with a smile, happy that at least one positive thing had happened today.

"I'm glad you're back too, it's been too long since I've had something cooked by you. Mooching food just isn't the same without you." Lexa added, slightly comically but also seeming genuine about it.

"Uh.. thanks… So where's Tyson and Ben? Did they head off to pull an allnighter on a video game again?" He asked, unaware that the two had left a while ago.

Percy folded his arms and looked over to where Vala and Harry stood. "Well, it's a little complicated, but for now, you know Vala and this here's Harry. They've taken on Tyson and Ben's ranger duties since they left Castelan. They're doing well, but between you and me, they might need a little work on using their weapons."

Aaron gave a small chuckle. "Just leave it to me." He replied before turning to the two newer rangers. "Thanks for helping out my team while it's been like this, I'm not lying about putting you through your paces though." He added before his stomach gave a growl. "Looks like I'm hungry, I haven't eaten solid food for months, so if there's anything left."

"Well there was a cup of Jello on the table here, I brought it in because you were gonna wake up." Artemis explained as she searched for the cup. "But I can't find it anywhere."

Without thinking, Aaron's eyes darted towards Lexa and rightly so. She was happily eating away at the cup meant for her friend without a thought for how hungry he must be. The Templar ranger gave a sigh as he shut his eyes and leant back on the pillow he was resting on. "I can't catch a break even when I'm recovering can I?"

"You know the rules Aaron, you snooze you starve." Lexa giggled as she finished off the cup of Jello she had swiped when no one had been looking.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's chapter 52 over and done with. This is more of a story milestone chapter since we've got the death of Redcloak, a big reveal about what Kumiho did to Aaron and then Aaron's return. Corrus' mortal wounds also played a big role in tying up the battle early to get into the good stuff. But all that said, it's finally getting back into things with a full team again. How it's gonna go from here, you'll have to see but it's gonna be great because up next is the final major arc of the series. Don't worry though, if there's a character you've been dying to see return and they haven't yet, unless they're confirmed to be dead they're probably gonna make an appearance soon.**

 **A final note before I leave you with the synopsis. If you don't know yet or don't know exactly what's going on, the site's had a pretty big glitch recently. Basically there's no update notifications going out and some stories are failing to update properly, so I'd suggest just keeping an eye on all the stories you're all reading so that nobody misses out till this gets fixed. If by any chance this bug is fixed when I post this, then it doesn't really matter. Either way, until the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: A Last Crusade**

 **Synopsis: While Aaron re-adjusts to everything and learns about the events that had transpired during his coma, Kumiho learns that Redcloak is gone. After additional events transpire in her lair, she journeys to the Command Center. After encountering the rangers, she reveals to them what both she and their foes both seek while revealing her intentions for the artifact in an attempt to enlist the help of the rangers. Where will this final quest lead? What is the artifact in question? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	54. Chapter 53: A Last Crusade

Ch53: Soul Bind

Since Redcloak's sacrifice to wound the Archfiend, in the process giving the rangers the key to waking up their leader, a week had passed. Aaron had finally been discharged from the hospital two days prior and had been caught up with the recent events in town since then. He had the full intention to get back into the fight as soon as possible, though his family and friends had other ideas.

The Templar ranger walked down the stairs in his home and into the lounge, fully clothed and appearing much more lively today. Looking around the room, he could see no sight of his sister, or his father. "Hey Missy, you here?" He asked, to which he got no answer. "Huh, strange, she's usually down here by now." He said to himself as a strange smell drifted up his nose. 'Huh, what is that? I've never smelled anything like it, on top of that it smells like it's burning.' The ranger thought as he looked around and saw thick smoke rising from the kitchen's oven.

Rushing over, he placed on oven mitts and opened the oven door, pulling out whatever was burning and dropping it onto the counter, turning off the oven shortly after. Aaron gave a sigh as he looked at the charred remains of whatever food was being made this early in the morning. 'What could've caused this? My dad doesn't even know how to operate an oven, did Missy try cooking something for once then? No use worrying about it now I guess.'

As he finished his thought, Artemis hopped down the stairs, heading toward the kitchen as Aaron noticed an open book on the counter. On closer inspection, it appeared to be the magical grimoire from which Artemis was learning to use her magic, the pages it was open to appeared to be a recipe for cooking with magic. As he glanced at it, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.

Artemis reached the kitchen to see her brother glancing over the book while her failed attempt at cooking steamed away on the counter. "What happened? Why'd it go and burn!? Did I leave it in for too long? I only went to the bathroom though…" She asked, shocked that her attempt to cook using the book had failed so quickly.

"Oh so it was you who tried cooking. Looking over the book it says that you had to use magic to make it work. It also says that magical cooking has to be incredibly precise, maybe that's why you got it wrong." He suggested, handing her the grimoire to look over the part recipe, part spell she had tried to use.

"But I really wanted to try cook us some breakfast. I know you're good at making food and all, but you should be taking it easy for now. After everything that happened, I don't want anything to repeat it." She said, sounding upset at the thought of losing her brother again.

Aaron patted her head and looked at her with a smile. "Thanks for worrying about me, but like I keep saying, I'm alright. Besides, I doubt a little cooking is gonna kill me." He jested, walking over to the fridge and pulling out some of it's contents. "Now how about I make something that isn't going to burn. We've got just enough time before school anyway." He joked, getting a small laugh out of his sister.

"You're pretty mean sometimes you know? You're still a good brother though." She replied with a smile.

"Well, for a little sister, you're not half bad either, Missy." He laughed, using her embarrassing nickname once more.

"I keep telling you don't call me Missy!" She blurted out as her face turned red. "You're never gonna drop it are you?"

"Not a chance." Aaron smirked, adjusting his glasses as he began making them breakfast.

 **[Kumiho's Lair]**

Since the death of Redcloak, Kumiho had been absent from the place she had made her home, leaving Reaper to watch over the cave. Since the creation of Redcloak, he had been running minor errands for the old god, much to his infuriation.

'That woman, making me pick flowers and herbs for spells, maintaining this damn cave every single day! She said she'd aid me in killing Shadai, so far all she's done is use me as an errand boy! Bring this, I need more of these, get me some food Reaper. I'm sick of this! Maybe allying with her was a foolish choice after all.' The devious man grumbled as he paced back and forth in the cave.

While he performed his tasks, a deep laugh echoed throughout the cave. 'So you wish to be rid of the trickster who you forged a deal with, an old god who has no power can't be true to her word to vanquish someone such as Shadai.' The voice informed Reaper as a scowl came across his face.

"Who's there, what do you mean she's powerless!?" He called out, demanding an answer.

'Someone like her, with little to no followers has little power in this world. That is why she must scavenge magical energy to build up enough power so she can use her divine abilities for a time. She is weak, unable to be called a god in her state. Join forces with me and I shall grant you what you wish. I have great need of someone of your talents, accept my offer and we shall destroy both her and your former master.' The voice offered to Reaper, who formed a sly smile, knowing his answer without thinking.

"What do I call my new master?" He asked, to which the voice laughed malevolently.

"You may call me, the Return." The dark entity introduced itself to Reaper as it's chaotic energy began to flow into the man, empowering him with the dark forces that the Return controlled.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

With the ringing of the final bell, the students of the High School began pouring out of their classrooms to leave for the day. Bit by bit, the group of rangers came together as they walked through the halls, chatting away as they headed toward the exit.

While they walked, Aaron turned his head toward the black ranger. "Hey Harry, Missy tells me you're into Football, she also said you can't really aim half of the time." He started, Harry appearing confused due to his comrade's choice of words.

"Sorry, think you got something mixed up. I don't play Football, I'm not the kind of guy who's six foot six and built heavy. If I tried playing that, I'd probably get crushed." He explained, failing to understand what he meant.

"I don't mean American Football. It's what you call Soccer. I should've been more clear. I guess it's not entirely your fault because of the origin of the words though. Funnily enough the English get the most annoyed by that when it's partly our fault too." He elaborated, piquing the curiosity of the black ranger walking beside him.

"What's that mean? I thought we'd just always called it that." Harry asked, the Templar ranger smirking as he adjusted his glasses, happy to teach some useless but still interesting facts.

"You see, originally, there was only Football. Then in the town of Rugby, a kid in a Primary school decided to pick the ball up and run with it, then they decided to make a game out of it and it got popular. At the time, they decided to have the sport's names be Soccer Football and Rugby Football. Both got popular across the world and eventually spread to America too. Around that time, everyone else cut Soccer from Football and Football from Rugby. The Americans made their own changes to Rugby and it became a different sport, so they just cut out Rugby from the name and since they couldn't call regular Football that, they went with Soccer. So it's a bit of a shared blame really, not that I'm too concerned, it'd just be easier if they'd have gone with something else to make it easier on the language barrier."

"Wow, that's pretty interesting, guess there's a bunch of things we all have a different idea on then. I'm surprised that's what they went with for both sports to begin with though, I thought that's how it always was." Harry said, intrigued by everything he was being told.

"Well if you're into that, how about I tell you about the time where Football was banned because it was too dangerous to play. Though that's probably because every player carried at least one sharp weapon and everyone's aim was probably to stab each other rather than playing the game." He briefly outlined, Harry's face brightening at the suggestion of how violent it had been.

"Tell me more!" He enthused, though the others around the two didn't want their friend to keep going on as they made their way out of the school and into the town.

'Oh great, another History nut, there goes my afternoon.' Lexa thought as she and the others gave a groan.

Shortly before Aaron could begin ranting on about the violent history of early Football, all of their phones buzzed simultaneously. "Huh, looks like we're spared all the boring history stuff." Artemis casually said as they read the message.

"Looks like we're needed back at the Command Center, Jamie made a little too many words underlined for it not to be." Percy said as they pocketed their phones.

"So, no monster fights today then? I was kinda wanting to get out there and beatdown some Undead. I am a little rusty after all." Aaron sighed as the other rangers looked to him.

"You shouldn't come Aaron. If it's important, then it might be dangerous too. The last time we had something dangerous to deal with, it didn't end well. I don't want to lose you again. Not like last time." Emlie told him reluctantly. Although she didn't want him to stay behind, she felt that it was best he kept himself away from danger for now.

"Is this how everyone feels? If you don't want me carrying on, then you should've said something sooner." He asked them, to which they all nodded, believing it was best he stay sidelined for the foreseeable future. Taking a few steps forward, past the rest of the team. "I get it, you're all worried I'll get carried away and end up in the same position I was in last time, you want to protect me from any further harm. You don't understand though, I refuse to have anyone shield me any more, I can't let that happen ever again." He commented before breaking off into a sprint, surprising each of the rangers as he fled the area.

As each of them were about to take off after him, the white ranger held her arm out to stop them. Vala stopped and looked towards Emlie, an unhappy expression on her face. "Hey what're you doing? We're just gonna let him run off, what if he does hurt himself?"

"I guess it's our fault, we were coddling him a little too much there. We should still do something though." Percy said, still adamant about following the ranger and making sure he was alright.

"I'll go. I messed up telling him to stay out of things for now. I just want him to be safe, but he doesn't think he needs it. I'll go after him and talk to him, see if I can smooth things out. You guys should probably go and see what's going on at the Command Center, I'll come back with him soon." Emlie decided, running after the fleeing Templar ranger.

 **[Castelan Cemetery]**

Having followed Aaron through the town, Emlie now stood at the gates to the town's Cemetery. Looking around, the white ranger saw her Boyfriend in the middle section of the graveyard, knelt by a gravestone. Running over to him, she could see that his head was low, though he appeared to be calm as his eyes focused on the gravestone.

"Hey, are you alright? I'm sorry about earlier. When you went into a coma, everyone thought that you might not make it and thinking about that, it made me too upset. So when you finally woke up, I decided I didn't want to lose you again. I'm sorry I took it a little too far though." She said, sitting herself down beside him. "What's special about here, is there someone important to you buried here?" She asked, not having looked at the name on the gravestone yet.

Aaron gave a nod before speaking up. "My Mother's buried here. I like to come here to clear my head, it makes me feel like I'm actually talking to her I guess."

Emlie looked over to the gravestone that read 'Maya Du Lac.' "I-I didn't know your Mom was here. I thought you said you'd been in England all your life though, why's she here and not back at your home?" She asked him, to which he gave a calm sigh.

"I guess there's no use hiding it now. You see, while my Father is English, my Mother was American. Castelan was her hometown, that's part of the reason why we came here to begin with. She died when I was two, in a house fire. She took me to safety, but she died shortly after because too much of the smoke got into her lungs. I keep thinking that if I'd gotten out myself somehow that maybe she'd still be alive. It sounds farfetched that a toddler could do that, but that's why I don't want anyone protecting me. I don't want to be the cause of anyone's death." He explained to her, Emlie gasping slightly at what she had heard. "Now you know why I'm always refusing to back down, why I fought Abaddon alone. I want to be strong to protect those around me, instead of being the one in need of help all the time."

Her eyes wide and her mouth agape in surprise as to why Aaron was always so helpful and unyielding, she shook herself out of it and leant in to hug him tightly. "You might not think you are, but you're already strong. I'm not gonna stop you from coming back. I think your Mom would be proud of how you've turned out."

"I think she'd have loved to meet you too you know. You're a nice girl and you're beautiful too, no doubt about it." He said, causing the white ranger to blush as she hugged him. "Emlie, I love you."

With that, her face turned bright red. "Y-You l-love me?"

Aaron gave a firm nod as he leant in close. "I do, there's nobody else out there that can make me as happy as you do."

"I love you too." She smiled happily as he leant in further, his lips almost touching hers.

In the moment of bliss, Emlie felt her heart flutter, she had always pictured confessing her love to someone, but never knew the feeling would be so joyful. The white ranger hoped that these few moments could last forever, unfortunately for her, fate had other plans. Just before they could kiss, the white ranger's phone began to ring, ruining the moment for the both of them. Emlie gave a hefty sigh as she flopped to the ground and pulled out her phone, looking at the caller ID.

'Way to kill the mood Lexa, I can't catch a break can I?' She thought with a grumble as she answered. "This better be important, you just ruined something for me so it better make up for it."

"My bad, but the Doc and Jamie weren't kidding, you guys need to get down here as soon as. You did talk to him didn't you?" She asked, not caring about the situation she had interrupted.

"More than you know." Emlie sighed, her voice sounding unfulfilled.

Glancing over to Aaron, she could see that he had stood up and straightened himself out and now offered a hand to her. "Something up?"

"Just Lexa being Lexa again." She said as she took his hand to get up. 'I'm getting her back for this though, she ruined the perfect moment and she's gonna pay.' She thought, beginning to plot her payback for the rude interruption, even if it was only light hearted revenge.

 **[Command Center]**

Arriving in the control room of the ranger base, the two saw that the other rangers, Jamie and Doctor Blake were gathered around another individual, they all wore cautious expressions as the two late arrivals joined them.

Both Aaron and Emlie looked on in surprise as they saw the other individual in the room, standing in her form, unlike her previous interactions with the rangers was none other than Kumiho, though she appeared wounded. Her face was bruised and she held her shoulder.

"So it appears if everyone has finally arrived. Very well, I shall begin." She said wearily as the two rangers joined the rest of their allies.

"What's going on, who is she, or rather, what is she?" Aaron asked as the old god eyed him closely, seeing that he still bore the red gemstone around his neck that held what was left of her servant Redcloak inside of it. Even though his body was gone, his soul remained bound to the vessel.

"We've got no idea, Doc said she just showed up and wanted to see us as soon as." Vala told him, not entirely concerned with what was going on.

"You didn't think to ask?" He asked to which she shook her head. "You're as big of an airhead as Missy is sometimes aren't you?" Aaron added, earning a scowl from his sister for the contents of his lasts sentence.

"My name is Kumiho, a trickster god of the old world. I believe you are the ones who Redcloak told me of before his demise. I need your help, you're the only ones I can turn to, the fate of this world and all others hang in the balance."

"Wait, you're a god right? Why do you need us then? Can't you use your god powers or something to fix things?" Lexa asked, wondering why what sounded like an all powerful being would need the help of a group of teenagers.

"It is true I am a god, but one of countless. In truth, god is the name you coined for us. We're Divine beings, immortal beings in charge of the different aspects of creation. I am a god in charge of illusion and tricks, yet my followers are too few. Without a strong following, the power of a Divine is little, as such is mine. I've come to seek your help to stop our mutual foe. For if he is freed from his prison, nowhere will be safe from his destructive force.

Doctor Blake stepped forward, Kumiho studying him for a moment. "We know about Corrus and the Undead, but we don't know much about his master. Who is he, why's he so important?"

"He is the Return. He calls himself that as he wished to destroy everything, leave this reality lifeless before moving on to devour another. He manipulates those around him into doing his bidding, promising to return the world to a point where life can begin again and his minions can rule over the new world. I had heard of him long ago, but never thought he would exist. Please, lend me your aid and I shall give you a way to defeat him."

"We'd like to believe you Kumiho, but we don't know a thing about you. After all, you did say you were a trickster god. If you're lying, I doubt we'd be able to know. How did you get hurt?" Aaron said cautiously, suspicious of the minor god before them.

"When the demon's spire crumbled, I found the one called Reaper that remained at the ruins, trying to bring forth his former master. I took him in after Shadai attempted to kill him. I used him as a servant for a time, to gather what I needed to strengthen my magical power. Without followers, this was the only way to find what I was searching for. Upon returning, I found he had joined the Return. We fought, but the power the Return had given him was too much for me. I had to seal him inside this." She explained, holding up what appeared to be a runestone radiating chaotic energy. "Though he managed to wound me before I sealed him away."

"Huh, Redcloak said that you and the Return were after the same thing, is that what you said could defeat him?" Percy asked, remembering what the fallen swordsman had said to them prior to them allying.

"That's correct. I don't have the object in question however, but I know where it is. You see, it is one of the most protected secrets of this world. Magic of this scale comes at a cost, for the Return to be free, he would have to sacrifice every human in the world and use up all of the mana this world has to offer to escape from the place he has been trapped. For us to defeat him using conventional means, we would have to do the same. But there is an artifact that can do what we need with only a minor cost to it. It can grant any wish, so as long as we can pay the toll. I know where we must go on the journey to find this artifact, but now so does the Return." She explained to them, surprising the rangers that such a powerful object exists.

"There's really something that powerful out there? What is it?" Harry asked, wondering what object out there could contain such power.

"It's had many names, whereas I've known it most often as the Celestial Goblet because of it's properties and the form of magic it draws from, you humans seem to enjoy claiming the works of others for yourselves. I believe you would call it the Holy Grail." She explained, revealing the name of the item to the group, surprising each of them that they were questing for such an item.

"The Holy Grail? That actually exists? I thought it was just a myth like most things. Even then, how do we find it? You do know how many people tried to find that and failed right?" Jamie asked, skeptical that they could accomplish such a momentous task.

"Trust me it exists, I was there in disguise to see its first use. From there, it was protected and stolen countless times over. Then, a group of Knights finally took possession of it, building a temple in a desert for it to be hidden in. They left, but they carved a map into a stone tablet. Then they broke it into four pieces, scattering them to the four corners of the world. It has taken centuries, but now I can detect where the map pieces are. Help me achieve my goals and I will help you defeat the Return." She continued, vaguely answering as to where the Grail was being held.

"So you need us to help get the grail, but how do we know you're not going to double cross us once we find it?" Artemis asked, not entirely trusting the trickster god before them.

"You humans had a book released a couple of years ago, detailing proof that all Myths are real, correct? While the claims it makes aren't entirely accurate, there was some truth to it. Earth is one of many realms, such as the Underworld, or one of the faerie realms. Long before mankind existed, there was a war here. The book states it was a battle yet that was incorrect. Earth is what would be known as a Realm Nexus, a Realm in which most all other Realms are connected to. The gates between this Realm and others are spread throughout the world. Yet as a result of this war, these gates were sealed shut and only through special means can certain Realms be accessed now, though only for a brief time. My wish is to change fate itself, so that this never happened. So that the world and every other can return to their natural connected state."

While the others stood thinking about what she had said and wondered whether or not to ally themselves with such a powerful yet potentially dangerous being, the Templar ranger stepped forward and held his hand out. "If that's your goal, then it's a noble one. As long as you're telling the truth, we'll help you, right everyone?" He said, each of them giving a hesitant nod before he and Kumiho clasped hands and shook, making their alliance official.

"I'll get in touch with a guy I know, if these map pieces are really in the 'four corners' of the world, then we'll need transportation. For now, you should all go home and get some rest. I'll contact you in the morning when we're ready to leave, so make sure you're all ready for this." Doctor Blake added, wrapping up the conversation as the rangers got ready to leave.

 **[Castelan Air Field]**

A cloudy morning met the rangers and their allies as they stood on the tarmac of the old air field on the outskirts of Castelan. They were all geared up with thick jackets and each carried rucksacks packed with supplies for the upcoming adventure.

Vala Stross, looked up into the sky, squinting to look at a small object that appeared to be coming closer toward them, soon enough she could make out that it was some sort of large plane. As it came into land, Aaron, Emlie, Lexa and Percy all appeared to have the same annoyed expression on their face while their mentor gave a small chuckle. The 'plane' in question appeared to be a much larger version of a NA-98X plane.

"You really called him of all people to fly us around? You do realise we're out to save the world right?" Lexa groaned while Doctor Blake shrugged.

"Well it was either this or flying commercial, this was cheaper." He laughed as the door began to open.

"Just the fact he's still making us pay makes him pretty stingy, what did it even cost?" Percy asked, the teacher shook his head in response.

"It's better you don't know." He finished as the door finally opened and a very familiar face hopped out of the plane.

"Heh, fancy seeing you all again. And some new faces too." A man with a strong German accent laughed as he looked at them, giving a wink to Kumiho as soon as he saw her. "Welkin Stross is my name, women are my game and flying is just a hobby. May I ask your name?" He asked, trying to sound impressive to the Divine being before him.

"Are you sure a repulsive man like this is necessary?" She asked, turning her head towards Doctor Blake.

"You really don't understand how much of a bargain this was."

'Typical cheapskate teacher.' the four older rangers thought as they tried to stand the presence of Welkin for as long as they could.

"Welkin? You know all of them? Is there something I don't know about?" Vala asked, oblivious to the fact he was not only a ranger, but the ranger they had been discussing only a week prior.

"Yeah, that's a long story. Since I've been shot down already, why don't we get into the plane. Air Stross is about to depart." Welkin said, avoiding the question for the time being.

"Let's just hope he decides to only fly us around, otherwise this whole save the world plan is gonna be ruined." Lexa added as they headed over to the zord to depart Castelan and begin their quest.

"Seconded." Aaron commented as he walked by.

 **|Mythos|**

 **Finally finished with chapter 53 and it turned out longer than I thought it would be, but that's nothing to complain about because there was a lot going on. A bit more character building and clearing up some old stuff and some messy/undeveloped plot points to begin with, blaming past me here for making some mistakes. Then we got into just developing more into** _ **what**_ **Kumiho actually is and the whole things about Divine beings is less important for this, but still something that makes sense explaining right now. This chapter was gonna include getting the first map piece, but I didn't want it to run on for much longer, so you'll be seeing two maps get found in the next chapter to make up for that.**

 **Updating might pick up some time in the next few weeks too, depending on how quickly I can get coursework outta the way. If everything goes well, it shouldn't be long until I can finish up this series, then I'll be moving back onto the stories I've had on hiatus for probably too long now.**

 **Next Chapter: Gathering Forces**

 **Synopsis: The rangers hunt for the first and second map pieces. While their first one appears to have been abandoned in a desolate location, the second is held within a very familiar place, though there's something off with the area they visit. From here, the rangers are pitted against the Lich Knights, can they defeat them, or will they need aid in their fight? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	55. Chapter 54: Gathering Forces

Ch54: Gathering Forces

Steady humming from the Straffer Zord resonated throughout the vehicle as the Mythos rangers sat around the passenger area of the plane themed Zord. They had been travelling for several hours, in that time they had been heading west, the sun setting and just now beginning to rise again.

While Vala sat in the cockpit talking to her cousin, Jamie and Doctor Blake were talking avidly about going on this journey to find the grail, the prospect of its existence being quite the topic for them in itself. Kumiho sat alone on a small crate marked with a 'do not open' sign near the back of the Zord. Over at the other end of the vehicle, the rest of the rangers sat, casually chatting with each other as Aaron rose from where he sat and strolled down towards the lonesome Goddess.

"Kumiho, you alright? You're looking a little down." The Templar ranger observed as he received a shrug from her.

"I'm surprised that you of all people would be concerned about me. I'm the one who wronged you but you easily forgave me. I've been stuck on this world since before your race existed, yet I still find it hard to understand you." She stated as she offered him a seat.

"We all make choices we don't like right? From what I heard, without Redcloak, these Undead would've won already. Maybe everything we've all been through had to happen. It doesn't matter too much about the past now though, we're allies, so let's focus on saving the world from that world eater." Aaron explained his stance on their alliance as a small smile came over the Trickster Goddess' face.

"You're a kind mortal, in a way you remind me of Redcloak. Once I was trapped here for good, he was the first person to accept me and help me. Before that I was alone, he had a kind soul, but I knew his body wouldn't last. Each time he gained a new body, he lost it but he told me shortly before his latest sacrifice to not bring him back. I want to see him again because without him I just feel alone. I don't know what I'd do or where I'd go after all this is over if I didn't have him with me." Kumiho told him, uncertain as to her own future and whether or not to revive her dormant servant.

"I'm sure you'll figure out something, even Gods aren't perfect so it's fine if you've not got it all figured out yet." Aaron added as the intercoms of the Zord lit of with light static as a familiar voice rang throughout their transport.

"This is your Captain speaking, we're close to the landing site. Thank you for flying Air Stross and remember, we don't give refunds." Welkin informed them chuckling at his own joked as he turned off the intercoms.

"That's too bad, I was hoping to get that while complaining to management about the quality of service on this thing." Lexa sarcastically remarked as the Straffer Zord began to descend towards a clearing within a deep and secluded forest.

 **[Forgotten Shrine]**

Departing from the Zord, each of the rangers spread out around the clearing in an attempt to locate the place that the first map fragment resided. As they did so, Kumiho and the rest of their companions decided to remain within the safety of the hulking vehicle. All except for Welkin Stross that is. The German pilot took a deep breath, taking the fresh air of the pine forest around them in as he too scoped the area.

Making his way up to the Templar ranger he gave a light laugh. "So, Vala told me you guys are after the Holy Grail right? Once this is all over, mind if I pawn it off? I've got a good idea of someone who might want it."

"So you want to profit off this? I should've known that's the reason you decided to help us. For a ranger you're not at all what I'd imagine one to be. Regardless, we can't allow you to pawn off an ancient relic of immense power, so the answer's no. Could you please help us find wherever this map fragment is instead of trying to persuade me to do something stupid?" He asked the older ranger who gave another lighthearted chuckle.

"Oh, that's what you're doing. I already found it, you should've said something earlier. It's just over here." Welkin pointed as he and Aaron advanced toward where the former pointed while the Templar ranger signalled for his team to follow.

Stepping into the forest and working their way through the pine trees, the rangers soon came across what they were searching for. "You actually came through for us for once Stross, surprising." Lexa remarked as they looked at the shrine ahead.

It appeared to consist of a basic stone altar with what appeared to be a sealed stone container atop it, moss covered much of the area and it was difficult to make out what other objects in the area belonged to the decayed shrine.

"So it's just over there right?" Vala observed, walking toward the shrine without a second thought as the other rangers heard footsteps and snarling from nearby.

The blue ranger quickly pulled his comrade back and signalled for her to be quiet as the group took up a hiding position behind a large bush, peering through it to observe whoever or whatever had also found the resting place of the first fragment. As the other group came into view, they were revealed to be a detachment of Draug led by the Lich Knight speaker, Odzir. The Lich clad in green and black armour, wielding a blade of the same colour quickly signalled the Undead foot soldiers to spread out and secure the area.

"Damn it, now we've gotta deal with the Undead and a Lich Knight. What's the plan?" Harry asked as the Templar ranger observed the foes that were new to him.

"What's special about a Lich Knight, anything we should look out for?" Aaron asked, still making his mind up on how to deal with the foe.

"Besides from kicking our butts, they can counter a specific ranger's powers, that one's in green so Artemis' at a disadvantage. They're extremely powerful with magic too, so I don't know how well our weapons will work against it either." Emlie summed up as Aaron stood straight, followed shortly by the other rangers.

"Only one way to find out." He said as he drew his morpher, followed shortly by the rest of his team.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" Each of the rangers called out as a flash of multi-coloured light shone over the area. Charging out of the bush, the Mythos rangers quickly met the Draug in combat.

Cutting one down one quickly and effortlessly, Aaron looked at his arms and then at the rest of his body to see that the colour scheme of his ranger suit appeared to have changed from it's standard scheme. From what he could tell, the colours had inverted with the majority of his armour now being red, tilting Excalibur in his hand, he noticed that the stone containing Redcloak's soul now rested in the pommel. He didn't have time to figure it out though and instead decided to dash forward and meet the Lich Knight in battle, advancing toward Odzir, the ranger moved far more swiftly than usual until he clashed blades with the Lich Knight.

As the others battled the numerous Draug, the Templar ranger gave a small nod to Artemis as she blasted away one of the minions with a bolt of green energy from her staff, the Dryad ranger nodded in response as she danced through the remaining attackers and began preparing a spell behind Odzir.

"What trickery is this ranger? My master never told us of another ranger, it won't matter though, I'll destroy you too!" The Lich in green roared as he hacked against Excalibur with his blade.

Aaron managed to keep up with the movements of the Lich Knight's attacks but he began to feel exhausted as the battering went on and dropped to one knee. As Odzir landed one more attack on the Legendary weapon, the soul gem in the pommel of the blade lit up brightly, blinding the two as it shone.

Wielding his trident, the blue ranger conjured a large whirlpool above his enemies, Harry stood nearby, hacking away at Draug that came near. As he did so, the black ranger struck his axe into the ground, sending sharp stones flying into the air which quickly landed in the whirlpool. While Percy generated the whirlpool to even greater size, Lexa and Vala stood guarding him, striking down the Undead that near with their hammer and bow.

"Alright, it's ready!" Percy informed his teammates as they rolled to the sides, Lexa drawing her bow once more and aiming it at the whirlpool while an aura of wind energy began to form around the projectile.

"Alright, time to give these Undead a well needed bath!" Lexa exclaimed as she let loose the arrow that flew directly into the whirlpool, quickly transforming it into a cyclone as the blue ranger released the combined attack upon the Draug.

As the cyclone ripped through the area, tearing apart several undead, Emlie fought off a group of three Draug by herself. Quaking slightly in her boots, the unnerved white ranger tried to fight the Undead soldiers as best she could. Unfortunately, trying to strike one of the Draug, she overshot her strike and lost her footing, falling to her knees. Quickly trying to rise to her feet and defend herself again, Emlie heard three sharp cracks from a blaster weapon whizz through the air as the Draug in front of her collapsed. Looking in the direction the blasts, she saw Welkin Stross slinging his Sky Striker Pistol around on his finger and giving a wink to her. With an annoyed growl, the white ranger rose to her feet heading over to assist the rest of her teammates, uttering the words "Show off."

As the light subsided, the Templar ranger and Odzir found their blades still locked, however, the soul gem was now absent from Excalibur's pommel and Aaron's ranger suit appeared to be back to it's original colour scheme. Odzir raised his blade again and snarled at his foe.

"You really think to defeat me with flashy tricks? Fool!" the Lich Knight declared as he swung at Aaron's sword again, the Templar ranger barely blocking it this time.

He felt slower to react and he knew if this fight prolonged any further, he would be wounded by the Lich Knight at best. Despite this, when he pushed back against Odzir, he felt his strength return to him and rose to his feet as he used his found strength against the Lich Knight before shifting his blade under the foe's guard and cutting into the armour it wore. As Odzir recoiled, Aaron smirked under his helmet as he saw Artemis give him a signal from behind.

"I'm not the one planning to defeat you, I'm just the distraction." The Templar ranger revealed to his foe, signalling behind the Lich Knight as it turned around to see Artemis channeling a spell that neither the villain or Aaron had seen before.

It appeared to be a sphere of energy fluctuating between green and blue in colour as Artemis took aim at the damaged portion of Odzir's chestplate and unleashed the attack. Firing out toward the Lich Knight, it appeared to act like her standard energy bolt, yet it abruptly split into four separate projectiles of fluctuating energy that tore through Odzir's armour as he let out a screamed out in pain as the armour exploded, taking the essence of the Lich with it.

Jogging over, Artemis gave a cheer, relieved that at least one of the Lich Knights was no more. "It actually worked, I wasn't sure combining the magic missile spell with the energy bolt spell would do anything but luckily it did!"

As the last of the Draug were defeated and the rangers powered down and regrouped, Aaron messed his sister's hair up. "You took a little long with the spell there, I was about to get overwhelmed."

"About that." Harry started. "When we morphed, your suit was a different colour. You were a lot faster too, then when you were fighting Odzir it returned to normal and you were fighting slower and stronger. What was going on?" The black ranger summed up as Aaron drew the soul gem from his pocket.

"I'm not too sure, but I think it has something to do with this." Aaron replied as he studied the item containing the swordsman's essence. Placing it back in his pocket, the ranger's attention turned to the altar and the container that remained sealed thanks to their efforts. "We should grab the fragment and head back to the Straffer, I think Kumiho might know more about what's happening." He decided as he and the other rangers advanced toward the altar and unsealed the container.

Within appeared to be a stone tablet, removing it, they could see the intricate carvings and an ancient text none of them could understand carved into the edge. As described, it was only a shard though and was broken at two edges. "We went to all that trouble for an old rock? What a rip off, I thought you said we were after a map to the Grail!" The complaining voice of Welkin came from behind them.

"That's part of the map." Percy began, slightly irritated at the pilot's impatience. "There's a few more like this somewhere in the world, we've gotta find them all before the Return and his Undead forces do."

"Well if this is all about saving the world, your teacher did pay me a lot in advance to fly you guys around and to watch out and help if you guys need saving. Guess adding saving the world to my list of accomplishments to brag about to the Ladies is a nice bonus, so shall we be off? I'm holding out on a lot of deliveries and adventures because of this."

"Why am I not surprised that he's in it for the money?" Emlie groaned as they began walking back to Welkin's Zord with the first of the map fragments in tow.

"It's simple, he's a terrible person." Lexa responded to her best friend as she leaned in and whispered. "Don't worry, I'm planning on cleaning out his food stores as soon as we get back."

 **[Wing Straffer]**

Soon after returning to the Zord, Kumiho informed them of the next location that held a fragment of the Grail map. Showing them the general area it was held and informing them that it resided in the catacombs of an abandoned church, Welkin quickly took his Zord into the air and turned them toward the east as they began their journey to the second of the fragments.

As the rangers talked in their downtime, Aaron made his way toward Kumiho who sat calmly on the box she had been sat on before the rangers had gone to retrieve the first fragment. "I assume you want to know something, you're standing there with that inquisitive look in your eye again." She interpreted as she turned her head to look at the ranger.

"Yeah, it's about the fight we were in earlier. When I morphed, my suit was different, I was faster, but I found it harder to fight and push against that Lich Knight. Then out of nowhere, my suit returned to normal and I could fight like I usually do." He explained the perplexing situation to the Old God as he pulled the soul gem from his pocket and showed it to her. "I think it had something to do with this."

Upon seeing the gem again, Kumiho's eyes lit up with some feeling of joy for a moment before they returned to normal and the Divine gave a nod. "You're right, it is the soul gem. Once it powered Redcloak by using your soul, now it seems to do the reverse. My servant had decided to lend you his power it seems and for a short time, you'll be able to fight like him, faster and more agile but not as strong as you normally are. The only downside to his combat ability really. Don't use it freely though, only when necessary."

"Will something happen if I don't?" Aaron asked, curious as to why she would request him to limit his use of such a boon.

"Each time you use that gem, it will drain energy from his soul. Eventually, there will be nothing left of him and I cannot allow that to happen. I have to beg you mortal, to spare what life force of his remains, I won't hesitate to." She explained to him as the Templar ranger immediately shook his head.

"You don't have to beg, you've got my word, I'll only use Redcloak's power if there's no other choice." Aaron decided as Kumiho gave a somewhat grateful smile now that she knew her servant was in good hands, even if they weren't her own.

 **[City Outskirts]**

Landing down in a field on the outskirts of a city which they presumed contained the abandoned church Kumiho had directed them to, the rangers stood on a street corner with the Trickster Goddess in tow. With the time it had taken them to get to the city, the sun was nearly set and not many people roamed the particular set of streets they were on. Kumiho appeared to smell the air in excitement as they looked around.

"This city, it's so full of energy, of Mana. I can imagine that many creatures would've made it their home if the gates between worlds hadn't been closed. Excuse me while I head further into the city, if I can absorb even some of the Mana contained here, it should prove to be a great help in locating the last three fragments." She explained the significance of the place to them as she left the rangers to finding the church containing the next fragment.

"Alright then, looks like this' a big place so we should split up. Lexa and Missy, you try checking east of here." Aaron ordered, hearing some grumbling from his sister about the use of her nickname. "Vala and Harry, you guys go west and see if the church's around there. Emlie and Percy, you head south and I'll stick around this area and see if anyone can give us directions to it. Whoever finds it first, let the rest of us know. Alright, let's get moving!" He commanded the rest of them as they moved in their designated directions with their partners.

Walking down a long street of the City, Emlie and Percy came to a corner, looking around for any sign of the abandoned church, however all they saw were blocks of apartment buildings lining the street spreading along the next stretch of road.

"We're supposed to look through the entire City for one church? This place is huge though, it'd be easier if we had Welkin fly over and find the thing. As much as we don't want to ask for his help, at least we'd have a good idea of where to go." Emlie sighed as they walked along the street.

"Maybe we should ask somebody for directions." Percy suggested as they saw a large built teen around their age in yellow turn out of a sports apparel shop and walk in the direction they were walking in. "Maybe someone like him." The blue ranger suggested.

With a nod from his teammate, the two jogged up to the burly teen as Emlie gave a light tap on his shoulder. "Excuse me, we're kinda lost and we could use some help." She asked politely as the teen gave a familiar sounding laugh.

Turning around, the teen gave the two a startled expression upon seeing his face. "I thought you sounded familiar when you asked, I'm surprised you guys came all the way out here, so what can your old pal do for you two?" The teen asked as they looked on with surprise, there was no doubt in their minds that who they were conversing with was none other than their good friend and former teammate, Tyson Stone.

"Tyson? Wow, it's been a while since we've seen you and we're pretty glad we ran into you. So this' where you moved to." Percy greeted as a happy smile came across the larger teen's face.

In no time at all Tyson wrapped his arms around his two friends, picking them up and squeezing them in a tight bear-like hug. "Yeah it has been!" He exclaimed in a cheerful manner. "My family moved all the way out to Numin after the whole thing with the demons back home. Sorry I couldn't carry on but it's hard to do when I'm living all the way over in Vermont now. How's the rest of the gang been doing while I've been gone?"

"Well, Vala took your place as the yellow ranger and one of Artemis' classmates is the new black ranger so we're back to full strength. We finally managed to free Aaron from his coma too but we've got another huge problem on our hands and that's why we need your help." Emlie summed up for the former yellow ranger as his face lit up once more upon hearing the good news about his friend's recovery.

"I'm glad he's doing better now, what's this problem you're dealing with then?" He asked clueless as to what he was once again going to be pulled into.

"There's basically a powerful villain raising the dead to fight us so he can get his hands on the map to the Holy Grail first so he can destroy the world. There's a church that holds a piece of the map we need but we can't find it anywhere, could you help us out Ty?" Percy elaborated on their current situation as Tyson's face formed a wide grin.

"Wait this guy's making you fight Zombies? That's so cool! Sure, I'll show you where the church is, count me in for the rest of the ride too. Fighting Zombies is too good of an opportunity to pass up!" Tyson agreed with an ecstatic tone, clearly thrilled by the prospect.

"Now I remember why I'm so terrified of Zombies, it was all Tyson's fault." Emlie groaned as the former ranger jumped up and down on the spot, energised from the thought of fighting the Return's minions.

"Alright then, I'll let everyone else know to meet us here and you can lead us there." Percy replied as he drew his phone to begin gathering the rest of the rangers together to begin the retrieval of the next map fragment.

 **[Abandoned Church - Catacombs]**

Upon reuniting with his friends and briefly catching up with his former teammates, Tyson quickly led the group to an abandoned stone church, the building was in disrepair and had condemned signs on the doors, which were falling off of their hinges and created a large enough opening for the group to enter.

Making their way into the catacombs, the rangers entered a sprawling complex, chambers full of old stone coffins lining every corridor. The atmosphere of the place was unnerving to say the least as the rangers worked their way through until they came upon a large underground chamber.

Looking around the dark chamber, several more of the ancient coffins lined the sides of the room yet there appeared to be no sign of the map fragment.

"Damn it's not here." Harry gave a sigh as the rangers and Tyson spread throughout the area.

While most of the rangers searched nearer the entrance to the chamber, Vala and Tyson walked toward the back where they suspected the map fragment would've most likely been. "You sure that this' the place?" The yellow ranger asked her predecessor as they began their search.

"Yeah, there's only one Church in Numin after all, people around here aren't really religious for some reason so this' been abandoned for a while." Tyson confirmed as he squatted down. "They could've beaten you here right? For all we know they could've taken it and gone." Tyson suggested.

From a dark corner of the room a deep and disturbing laugh came as the clanking of metal boots on the stone floor began to echo. "I'd say you understand half of it mortal. I made it here before you and I've taken the fragment, I could've gone but I decide to stay and crush you instead!" The voice proclaimed as the figure stepped out from the darkness, revealing itself to be the yellow armoured Lich Knight, Mobrux.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try!" Tyson challenged as Mobrux gave a confident laugh.

"A battle against two mortals then, just one of you will be less than a challenge, the rest of your allies can face my newly awakened Draug." The Lich Knight decided as the rangers readied themselves.

With a snap of it's fingers, the Lich Knight called for reinforcements, rotten and skeletal hands rising and breaking through the stone coffins as the inhabitants rose from death. Each appeared to wear Colonial clothing and carried old and worn swords as they advanced on the majority of the rangers.

"Tyson, Vala! Take out the Lich Knight, we'll handle the undead!" Aaron ordered from across the horde as the two heavy hitters smirked.

"Alright, let's bring the pain." Tyson said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Mythos Ignite!" Vala called transforming quickly as the rest of the rangers did so and began a vicious melee against the newly risen Colonial Draug.

Summoning Mjolnir to her side, the hammer flew straight into the hand of the former yellow ranger, much to the surprise of the two. "Oh, hey Mjolnir, long time no see. Guess you missed me. Let's show him what we can do buddy." Tyson greeted the sentient weapon as he charged forward and slammed the Lich Knight in the chest with it, creating a small crack in the armour and knocking Mobrux backwards.

The Lich grunted as he shook off the attack. "Ha, you hit like a child, come at me with your best." It challenged as Vala charged forward, Tyson tossing the hammer to her as she passed him.

Summoning a small vortex of lighting, the yellow ranger targeted Mobrux with it, entrapping the Lich Knight temporarily as she swung Mjolnir back and forth, deepening the crack in it's armour before the vortex subsided and the foe could move again. Jumping back Vala looked to Tyson.

"We can't hurt him right now, any ideas?" She asked as one of the Colonial Draug was obliterated into the wall behind them by a powerful magic attack from Artemis.

As the body of the Draug disintegrated, the sword it had wielded clattered to the floor behind Tyson as he observed the deep crack in the armour they had created. Picking up the old sword, a plan began to formulate in the mind of the former yellow ranger.

"Looks like this guy thinks he can't get hurt and just keeps shrugging off our attacks. If you can hit him a few more times that crack in his armour might be weak enough for me to break through it with this sword." He explained to his successor who gave an understanding nod.

"That's genius, let's do it!" Vala decided in a cheery manner as she charged forward with Mjolnir in her hand once more.

"You're going to attack again, it's fruitless you foolish mortals, I'm far too strong for your attacks to defeat me!" Mobrux declared in overconfidence as Vala hammered away at the cracked plate of armour several times before being knocked back by the armoured gauntlet of her foe.

"That's the thing, you might be strong, but you can't say the same for your armour." Tyson informed the Lich Knight, distracting it as it looked down at the weak plate.

Taking the opportunity, Tyson lunged the antique sword into the crack in Mobrux's chest plate, just weak enough for him to break through it with his powerful thrust of the weapon, breaching the armour as the Lich Knight yelped in pain as his essence became exposed. Taking the initiative, Vala charged up Mjolnir with as much lightning energy as she could muster before unleashing it into the exposed point of the armour. The Lich Knight almost instantaneously exploded, destroying the essence inside as the second map fragment dropped to the floor.

At the same time, it appeared that the rest of the Mythos rangers triumphed over the Colonial Draug. As the two victors against the Lich Knight cheered, they shared a high five, glad they had thought together and taken the second piece of the map as a team.

 **[Wing Straffer - Exterior]**

After a few more hours of reaching Welkin's Zord and waiting for Tyson to say persuade his family to let him head off with his friends on the once in a lifetime adventure, the former yellow ranger met his friends with a few bags in hand.

"So looks like my parents say it's alright to head off for a couple of weeks for this, they think I'm just vacationing with friends so it should be fine." Tyson informed them as the team began walking to the Zord's entrance.

"Well it's glad to have you back for now Tyson, a lot's happened since you've gone but with you around, things should seem like old times again." Percy said as the former ranger lightly and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"A lot's changed huh, you decided to ask Lexa out yet?" Tyson asked with a somewhat cheeky grin.

Percy shook his head. "Not yet, I've just been waiting for the right time, with this whole end of the world thing going on, I feel it'd be better if I just wait until we've beaten the Return and everything returns to normal."

"Perc, with how long we've known each other, you're like my brother. I know what you're like and I can tell you're nervous about it. So get asking her, otherwise I will." Tyson lightly threatened as the blue ranger gave a huff.

"Fine." He agreed as he jogged up to where the pink and white rangers were talking. "Lexa, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked, mustering up as much courage as he could.

"Yeah, what's up?" She asked blankly as she stared at the nervous blue ranger.

"Look, we've been friends for a long time and I guess for a while now I've liked you a lot. So, do you want to go out with me?" The blue ranger finally let out, finally relieved to confess.

Lexa gave a smile to her friend before speaking up. "It's about time you asked me."

"What?" Percy asked as he and the male rangers behind him blinked in surprise at her response.

"You know telling the guys was a bad idea right? Aaron can't really keep a secret around Emlie and she couldn't keep her mouth shut anyway. Besides, it's not like I haven't noticed myself." She explained, keeping her friends surprised by her words. "Ever wondered why I hardly target you for my pranks, it's because I've liked you for a while too, so yeah, I'll go out with you."

"Wow, that's great!" Percy exclaimed cheery manner as Lexa took hold of his hand and began dragging him toward the entrance to the Straffer.

"Come on, we're gonna tell Stross and I'm gonna rub it in his face about how I have someone and he's gonna die sad and alone!" She exclaimed with a short laugh as the other rangers watched, unsurprised that she would use her new relationship to her advantage as soon as she could.

Aaron walked over to his girlfriend, still shocked from what he had just seen. "You told her? I let you know because you promised to keep it quiet."

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, they just seemed like such a cute couple!" Emlie defended herself with an innocent smile.

"Well, at least we know who wears the pants in that relationship." Harry remarked, pointing to Lexa as the remaining teens burst out into laughter.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's chapter 54 and I finally managed to finish it, sorry for the delay as it would've been out a day or two ago if not for some noisy interruptions. So Tyson's back and he'll be back for the rest of the series too and he moved to Numin City, which is the familiar location. While it's not familiar to the rangers, it is to some rangers. It's the only location from another series I have lined up though and if you couldn't follow, there's no supernatural beings there at all but there was an explanation for why they would flock there if that's any consolation. Percy finally confessed too and while it's probably the most comical confession I'll ever write, I think it turned out pretty well.**

 **I didn't think this chapter would end up being near twice the size of a normal one, but because of the combination of what was going to be in the previous chapter, it ended up that way. As explained about Aaron's new power up in the story, it's going to be a rare occurrence where he trades his swordsmanship skills and strength for temporary speed which could prove to be a challenge of working in with his usual abilities. That's really all and as for updating, I'm planning to get out about five chapters in a week and that way this should be finished just before the end of the month, excluding the epilogue, let's just hope nothing gets in the way of that schedule. Thanks for reading and I'll leave you with the synopsis now.**

 **Next Chapter: Black Forest**

 **Synopsis: Kumiho informs the rangers of the next map location, which takes them all the way into the heart of the Black Forest in Germany. A place from which many old fairytales take their much darker origin from. Will the rangers be able to take the map fragment or will The Archfiend and the Lich Knights take their first victory in the race for the Grail? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	56. Chapter 55: Black Forest

Ch55: Black Forest

From one of the windows of the Straffer Zord, Harry Starke watched as the land below gave way to open sea as they travelled east from the country and toward the eastern continents. It had been some time since Kumiho had returned to the Zord and instructed their pilot to head east toward the continent, yet beyond that she hadn't given Welkin further instruction.

Turning back around, the black ranger saw Aaron sat nearby staring at the soul gem housing Redcloak's soul, he was likely debating how and when he should use it or if he should use it at all. Though Harry didn't want to pry, curiosity quickly got the better of the teen.

"Looks like you've got something on your mind. Still thinking about that stone and Redcloak?" Harry started as the Templar ranger turned his head to acknowledge the former.

"Yeah. Kumiho said it's the last part of Redcloak left and that she can't bear to have him used to further power up my ranger powers. I get why and I don't really want to, even if I didn't know Redcloak, I still don't feel right taking his life force."

"Well it's your decision, if you don't want to you don't have to, the rest of us aren't gonna get onto you for not using it. Besides, you can handle yourself even without that stone. I don't think you need it so you shouldn't worry about it." Harry replied, offering his opinion to the ranger.

"You're right, having it doesn't mean I have to use it, the stone belongs to Kumiho anyway. I should probably give it back to her then. Thanks for your insight, it put my mind at ease a little bit." Aaron finished as he rose from where he sat and looked around the passenger area for the Divine.

As he did so, Kumiho walked by, heading toward the cockpit. Since heading to the concentrated source of Mana, her appearance had altered slightly, moving with much more energy and a very slight aura of Divine energy radiated from her. Following the Trickster Goddess, Aaron soon found himself within the cockpit as the former opened her mouth to speak with the German currently flying the hulking vehicle.

"Mortal, I have located the area which we must next go to. A place within what you know as Germany. We must head to what is known in the native tongue as Schwarzwald. I trust you know what I speak of, my little time within that land didn't allow me to learn the language but that was the name I was told when I asked of the forest a long time ago." Kumiho relayed the information as Welkin smirked at where the Old God had directed him to fly them.

"Deutschland it is my foxy friend and right into the Black Forest itself." Welkin confirmed, teasing the allied Divine for a moment as he began adjusting the Zord's course.

Kumiho quickly turned to leave the cockpit where she was met with the patiently waiting Templar ranger who held out the soul gem in his hand. "I don't think I should have this any more. It belongs to you and I don't want to use it if it's going to take the soul of another to do so." He explained to her as she tilted her head slightly and studied him for a moment.

Shaking her head, Kumiho opened her mouth and began to elaborate. "I can't take it from you. I only wish I could but he allowed you to use his power, it's not for me to decide or take it away. If you're set on not utilising my servant's power, then don't. It's the simple solution." She explained as from behind her, Welkin Zord's speakers.

"This is your pilot speaking, looks like we're heading to Germany, so buckle up, it's going to be a long ride!" Welkin announced in a cheery voice as he proceeded to blare out verses from the German national anthem that echoed throughout the Zord. "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, Über alles in der Welt!" The German pilot began.

As he continued an irked expression came over Kumiho's face. "What is that infernal racket and which of you mortals is responsible?"

"Von der Maas bis an die Memel, Von der Etsch bis an den Belt!" Stross continued his singing much to the annoyance of his passengers, most of which had plugged their ears to block out the terrible singing coming from their pilot.

"That would be a tonedeaf German blaring out his Country's anthem, I'd counter it with my own but it would just be ruined by the other song." Aaron explained almost sounding as if he was trying to make light of the situation.

"Deutsche Frauen, deutsche Treue, Deutscher Wein und deutscher Sang!" Stross continued as Kumiho folded in the fox-like ears that sat atop her to reduce the amount of noise she could hear.

 **[The Black Forest]**

"Blüh' im Glanze dieses Glückes, Blühe, deutsches Vaterland!" Welkin finished the last line of the song for what felt like the millionth time to his passengers as the Zord came in to land in a large grassy field at the edge of the forest, a mountain range rising in the distance where the vast forest ended.

As the Mythos rangers disembarked from the Zord, they were accompanied by both Kumiho and Welkin, the former offering to guide them through the dark woods to the map fragment.

Trekking through the forest behind the Trickster, the group came across a less dense area within the forest that housed a small cave of sorts. The air around the cave felt much colder than the air throughout the rest of the woods and there was an eerie presence that unsettled the rangers as their eyes looked around the treeline for any sign of a malicious presence.

"The cave houses the map fragment, let us take it and leave quickly, I don't know when our foes may show up so we must make haste." Kumiho informed them as the rangers advanced toward the cave while Welkin hung back, leaning on a nearby tree.

An unsettling cackle filled the air as the rangers came near the cave, turning around in all directions, the rangers saw the remaining four Lich Knights emerge from behind the trees, brandishing their weapons. "So, the rangers finally came. Just as I predicted, the fell right into our ambush." The Lich Knight in completely blackened armour spoke in a calm manner.

"Whatever Skajon, let's just finish these weaklings off." The blue armoured Lich Knight responded, eager to begin the fight.

"Unlike you Tuzzak, I have the patience for careful planning, wait until the fighting starts until we join, distracted they should fall easily." Skajon informed it's fellow Lich as it turned its attention to the Mythos rangers. "As for you mortals, this place was once an ancient battleground where many once died. Enjoy fighting the dead." The Lich Knight informer them as the four rose their hands and began chanting as skeletal Draug armed with ancient weapons and clad in ancient armour rose up and surrounded the eight present, disregarding the presence of Welkin Stross.

As the remaining Lich Knights walked towards the coming battle, Vala gave a sigh. "Man I thought this was just gonna be an easy grab the map and go mission."

"If we've learned anything about these guys, it's that things are never easy when we fight them and things usually get harder with successive fights." Harry conveyed his observations to the rest of the team.

"If that's the case, we should give it everything we've got and show them how strong we really are." Aaron said to the group as they all drew their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" The seven rangers called as they morphed amid a burst of colour.

Calling upon their Legendary weapons, the seven of them charged forward into the skeletal Draug as the area erupted into a vicious melee. Swinging his axe around in wide arcing motions, the black ranger effortlessly cut down a large number of the Undead warriors until his axe clashed with the blade of the black Lich Knight, Skajon.

"Come ranger, show me how weak you truly are before you die by my blade." Skajon taunted, keeping its composure as it swung at Harry once more with it's blade.

The black ranger rolled out of the way before bringing the axe down toward the back of the Lich Knight's neck which was composed of chainmail, a weaker armour to plate that Harry was almost certain that he could cut through with his powerful axe. To the ranger's surprise, his Lich Knight adversary effortlessly blocked the attack with his blade and parried Harry's axe to the side.

As the black ranger fought his foe, Vala, Aaron and Artemis were focused on breaking the lines of Draug that had been resurrected by the Lich Knight's necromancy. While they were weak, their numbers would likely overwhelm them if left unchecked. Since the three rangers didn't have a personal conflict with a Lich Knight to deal with, they stood guard and kept the skeletal Draug away from the one one one battles behind them, cutting down more of the numerous foes with each passing second.

While Percy fought with the aggressive Tuzzak, keeping the strong Lich Knight at a distance with the Legendary Trident, Lexa ran circles around the Pink Lich Knight, using her elemental power to keep the Lich Knight's guard down while she stalled her foe. Emlie however wasn't faring well against the relentless onslaught of attacks from the White Lich Knight. Unlike the other Lich Knights, the Lich Knight pressed the attack with swift and powerful strikes that would seem to be able to overwhelm any opponent the Undead Lich was up against. Despite this the white ranger was managing to hold on for the time being against the relentless foe.

From the nearby tree he was leaning on, Welkin gave a sigh and pushed off from the tree and took the time to stretch out before reaching for the Radial Morpher on his wrist. "Guess I might as well do something to kill time. Ready for Takeoff!" The older ranger called as he morphed quickly into the Sky Striker ranger and drew his pistol from its holster, taking potshots at draug as he casually walked through the line of Undead and past the rangers cutting down the remaining Undead footsoldiers.

Looking around at the four currently engaged with their Lich Knight adversaries, Welkin could see that they were all having some trouble against their foes. He noted that the white ranger needed help particularly and decided that he should go and help. Sprinting forward with his Sky Striker pistol, the ranger fired several blasts into the exposed underarm of the white armoured Lich Knight. The foe quickly fell back, wounded from the surprise attack from the ranger.

"How dare an insolent mortal like you wound me!" the Lich Knight roared as it tried to charge at Welkin and run the ranger through with it's sword.

As it did so, Welkin effortlessly dodged the strike, smirking under his helmet as he fired several rounds from his pistol into the chest of the Lich Knight at point blank range, knocking it back as the foe reacted to the attack with a pained shriek.

The Lich Knight gave a grunt and looked to the four other Liches. "We're retreating for now! Let the mortals have their victory today. When we return we'll crush them and take the map pieces from their grasp." The white Knight ordered as the pink and blue Lich Knights quickly withdrew and fled the area.

Skajon was to follow when the ground underneath the Lich Knight gave way to sharp stones which wrapped around the legs of the Lich, trapping the foe. "Going somewhere?" Harry asked as the Lich Knight shook his head.

"That plan seems fruitless now. Very well ranger, let us fight. I shall dispatch you and the others quickly." Skajon decided as it swung his blade at the stone trapping its feet, shattering the stones into small fragments as it turned to face the black ranger and begin their duel once more.

Charging quickly, the Lich Knight clashed its blade against Harry's axe as it pushed forward, forcing Harry to step backwards to maintain his footing, slowly being pushed toward a large outcropping root. Within a few moments, the ranger felt the root touch the back of his foot as he was pushed back further. It was just enough of a distraction for Skajon to pull back his blade and deal a forceful blow against Harry's weapon, the impact being enough to knock the black ranger backwards and off of his feet.

Lying on his back, Harry gave a groan as the Lich Knight stood over him, blade ready to pierce through Harry's suit and drive right into the heart of the black ranger. Harry grasped his axe as he saw his teammates gather up behind the Lich Knight while Artemis readied a spell to attack the Knight and cause a distraction.

"Any last words before I end your futile existence, mortal?" Skajon asked as he brought up his blade ready to strike directly down into the black ranger's chest.

"Funny you should ask that. I guess I should be asking you instead. You see, unlike you, I have friends that are there for me if I get into a situation like this. Unlike the rest of the Lich Knights, they wouldn't abandon me like you either." Harry informed Skajon as Artemis let loose the energy bolt which struck the Lich Knight in the back and temporarily distracted and caused some damage to the Lich Knight as he turned to face the Dryad ranger, preparing to retaliate for her surprise attack from behind.

Within a few moments the black ranger rose and readied his axe before tapping the Lich Knight on the shoulder to redirect his foe's attention to him. As Skajon turned to face Harry once more, the black ranger swung his axe into the under armour of the Lich Knight that protected it's gut, causing a gaping and likely wound from which the Lich's essence began pouring back.

"No… Impossible… Defeated by a mortal like you…" Skajon panted as it staggered backward, trying in vain to retreat.

In it's attempt to flee, the Lich Knight bumped into the Fox Goddess who had been idly watching events unfold from where she had been stood prior to the battle.

"I am above such creatures of you, I am an immortal Lich, I shouldn't die not like this!" Skajon called out, suffering as Kumiho turned around and regarded the dying Lich Knight with disdain.

"You speak so highly of yourself for something so petty, insignificant and corrupt as yourself Lich Knight." Kumiho said, her tone shifting to a much darker and hateful one that she had never used in front of the rangers before, something which made them fear the Old God slightly with how quickly she shifted from being a calm Divine to being a wrathful one. "A creature such as you is the lowest of beings, selling your very life essence for Undeath. A monster like you doesn't even deserve to take another breath." She added as her eyes narrowed and she held her hand out toward the Lich Knight as the fallen foe combusted almost instantaneously, destroying the Lich's essence and leaving only ash as a wail from the dying Lich Knight remained for a few moments.

Lowering her hand and softening her expression, Kumiho looked to the rangers. "It appears as if we've scored yet another victory against the forces of the Return, take the map fragment from that small cave. We need to return back to America soon, I originally believed for the map fragment to be in a far off country but it appears to have been moved to your country by someone. I don't know who but another is now present in this race to the Grail. Meaning it is vital that we retrieve the final two fragments of the map quickly.

 **[Wing Straffer - Exterior]**

As the rangers embarked one by one into the Zord, Welkin Stross stood with a roguish grin as he tapped Kumiho on the shoulder. "Hey Kumiho, nice work on that Lich Knight back there. I'd say I did pretty well helping out the kids with their little Lich Knight problem too, and I looked great doing it." Welkin said to the Trickster Goddess in an attempt to woo her with his heroics in the concluded battle.

Kumiho thought about it for a moment before giving what appeared to be a sincere smile. "Oh Welkin, you looked amazing when you leapt in and saved young Emlie's life. I think my heart swooned for you a little back then and I don't think I can help myself for much longer now!" She expressed as her cheeks flushed substantially, much to the German's surprise as he wondered if she was that easy to impress.

"Well if you think I looked amazing then, there's a few other things I could show you." Welkin suggested as a sly smile came across his face.

To his surprise however, the Goddess instead of agreeing and falling completely to what he believed to be his irresistible charm, she burst out into laughter, to the extent of almost crying from laughing. "What a fool you are mortal. Are you that much of an egotist that you'd actually believe a Divine being would fall for a lowly mortal with the charming skills of a circus monkey? Unlike the women with low intellect you're used to wooing, trying such tactics with a Goddess is just futile effort. I only behaved like the average human girl to see if you'd get an ego boost so I could put you in your place. The next time you try it though, there will be consequences for your perverse attempts at wooing me." She informed the pilot of his deception as her eyes narrowed, showing some of the anger she had displayed when destroying Skajon.

'That's never happened before, a woman tricking me. I seriously must be doing something wrong if I can't pull any woman I set my sights on. Maybe the other rangers are cramping my style a little, yeah it's gotta be that.' Welkin thought as he started toward the Zord, refusing to accept it being anything wrong with him as he did so.

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's chapter 55 out of the way. This chapter came out later than I wanted it to but I'm essentially gonna be powering through the series all this week and hope that it's finished before the week's out. So Author notes might be more brief on days when I double upload or potentially do three in a day. I'll be taking a small break for Lunch though now and then be finishing the next chapter to release it later today.**

 **I thought it'd be funny to have Welkin sing the German National anthem on their way to Germany, and more funny for him to be a bad singer on top of that just to make the experience bad for the team. The Black Forest in Germany is actually closely tied into Myths and it's the setting for quite a lot of Brother's Grimm fairy tales so I thought it was a fitting place to have such a relic be hidden. Kumiho screwing with Welkin was a fun scene to write too. As for how Kumiho mentioned the next map piece had been relocated by someone. You fortunately won't have to wait long to find out so stay tuned for the next chapter, until then!**

 **Next Chapter: Hollow Legend**

 **Synopsis: Heading to a town in the state of New York that is covered in fog, the rangers soon encounter the remaining three Lich Knights along with a newfound dark ally that the rangers must face up against. Yet all is not as it seems in this strange turn of events. Will the rangers manage to find the next map fragment? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	57. Chapter 56: Hollow Legend

Ch56: Hollow Legend

Taking to the air from the edge of the black forest shortly after retrieving the third map piece, the plane-like Zord finally set down in a field outside of the New York State town where the next map fragment lied, several hours after taking off. The sky was dark and dense fog appeared to have rolled in and encompassed the town.

Disembarking from the plane, the five rangers were followed by Kumiho, however the God remained near to the plane as she caught the attention of the seven Mythos rangers stood waiting to find a fixed location on the next piece of the map.

"Rangers, I'm afraid I have some bad news about the next map fragment. I can't locate it. Even though I've replenished much of my mana, it would take me using it all to try and locate it. Even then there's a possibility I won't be able to. If I had active followers this wouldn't be an issue, but for now you must search it alone." She explained her inability to before deciding to elaborate why after judging the confused looks on some of their faces and deeming it necessary. "There's a powerful magical field cloaking this town, likely a defensive measure to keep the map piece safe from those who seek powerful magical items. Even though it's a map, they are still powerful magical objects. It's safe to say though that whoever erected the magical field is a very powerful magic user. You should be careful, in case it turns out they aren't a friend."

"So how're we gonna find this wizard or whoever they are and what are we gonna say when we find 'em? 'Hey Gandalf hand over the map' or something like that?" Lexa asked uncertain how much of a good idea it would be to face a wizard or how they'd react given their past encounters with magic.

"It'd be best if the young witch speak on your behalf. With the exception of some individuals, most magic users tend to act snobbish and holier than thou around anyone who isn't a magic user. Having her speak to the magic user would make the conversation run smoother. Now, I suggest you move quickly. The Lich Knight's have been ahead of us at almost every turn, being former mages themselves, they likely possess the means to create portals and move quickly from place to place. I wouldn't be surprised if they're already here." Kumiho finished as she returned to the Straffer Zord to rest and begin locating the last fragment of the ancient map.

"Alright, you heard her, Missy's in charge, lead the way Sis." Aaron prompted the Dryad ranger to take charge, frustrating her slightly by using her nickname.

"I'm in charge for once? Alright, my first official order is to for you to never call me Missy again." Artemis decided as she led the team toward the road into the town.

"You're the one leading so I can't really object, just understand that as soon as this mission's over I'm going to repeal that order." Aaron said with a small laugh as they came to the road and saw the name of the town they were about to enter.

A cold wind blew from behind the rangers as they read the name, sending a chill down their spines. "That's not a good omen is it?" Harry asked as the rest shook their heads.

"I thought this place was purely fictional, why's it here?" Percy asked as most of the others shrugged.

"Well originally this place was called North Tarrytown, they pretty much adopted the traditional name of the area in the sixties. That's why even if it does look a little surreal, this is in fact the real Sleepy Hollow."

"Why do I feel like we're gonna run into the headless horseman?" Emlie asked anxiously as she felt her stomach drop slightly at the thought of the headless rider.

"Isn't that just an urban legend though?" Vala said to try and ease the mind of the white ranger.

"In our line of works, Myths and Legends always have some truth to them. Saying it's that probably just made it worse." Percy added as the seven set foot into the fog covered town and began to make their way toward its centre, hoping to find the mage in possession of the map fragment quickly and avoid the remaining Lich Knights if possible.

 **[Sleepy Hollow - Forest]**

Within the forest by the town, the remaining three Lich Knights strode past lines of trees until they came upon a small river. The fog thick around their feet, the Liches looked around the area for any sense of direction as to where the map fragment could possibly be.

"Skajon fell to that Trickster, we're outnumbered by the mortals, does the Archfiend and the Return truly believe the mortals won't take all of the map pieces and destroy us now. Maybe that's what they're counting on, scheming monsters, I'd tear them apart if it wasn't for the Return's power." The Lich Knight in blue growled.

"When the humans suffer from our actions it won't matter, our vengeance will be complete, even if we won't be around to see it. One way or another this world shall burn for its insolence, I trust you'll remember that if your final moments come, Tuzzak." The white Lich Knight spoke.

"If you want to die then, Jarcal then there's nothing stopping you from doing so when we next fight those children. As for me, I plan on living to see that day. Besides, why shouldn't I live to become something greater, perhaps even ascend to Godhood once the world lies in ruins?" The pink armoured Lich Knight clarified its agenda.

"Perhaps you will Malzu, only time will tell, but first we must find a way through this magical interference that blocks us from locating the next fragment of the Grail map." Jarcal told the pink Lich Knight as they heard the sound of hoofs galloping down the river bank toward them.

In but a few moments, a pale horse stood before them, it's blue eyes shimmering from the moonlight as the rider of the pale animal examined the group of three. The rider in question wore a tattered black hooded robe, its hands were skeletal, as was the head inside of the hood. In it's hand was a long two handed scythe with a wooden handle that appeared aged and weathered.

"Interesting, what do we have here?" The white Lich Knight spoke up as it took note of the visage of death before it.

 **[Sleepy Hollow - Town Centre]**

Having made their way into the heart of the town, the rangers looked around the area for any sign of the magic user that was hiding within the city, as with the edge of the town, the fog was also thick at its centre. What was odd was the fact that though it was dark, there was no sign of anyone else in the town, almost as if it was abandoned.

Taking a look around her, Artemis clenched her jaw tightly and scrunched her features up. "Something's not right, I feel weird. There's somebody else here, I can feel them."

"Them as in more than one?" Emlie asked to which the Dryad ranger nodded.

"I don't know why but I can sense them, something about where we are, I can't usually do this." Artemis added as the seven drew their morphers cautiously.

"Unless there's more than one mage I think we can all guess what that means." Aaron said as the Lich Knights emerged from the fog, surprisingly followed by the pale rider they had encountered minutes prior to this latest incursion.

"Oh, looks like I was wrong, the headless horseman is real. Only he doesn't really look headless to me." Vala observed the appearance of the death-like entity.

"I'm not saying it's your fault Vala, but you pretty much jinxed it by saying it wasn't real. Okay maybe I am saying it is." Lexa remarked as the seven held out their morphers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" Each of them called out as the thick fog was illuminated for a moment by the vibrant flash of light. As it died down, the rangers summoned their Legendary weapons.

"Alright Artemis, you're still in charge remember, so give us the plan." Aaron reminded his sister who scratched her helmet, realising quickly the mistake she had made.

"Wait, you're putting me in charge of the fight too? I thought I'd only be doing the talking!" She complained as the Templar ranger gave a sigh.

"You're a bit too airheaded sometimes. Of course I'm putting you in charge of the battle too. Just make something up, I find you're good at improvising anyway."

"Fine. You go and take on the guy on the horse. I'm gonna help out Emlie, Percy and Harry can fight the blue guy and the other girls can handle the pink Knight. Sound good?" Artemis asked as the other rangers aside from her brother agreed.

"Why are you sending me up against the horseman alone?" Aaron asked, wondering why he was given likely the more difficult task without backup.

"Because you put me on the spot! I don't like it when you do that because it makes me feel stupid when I have to make things up." Artemis exclaimed in a minor tantrum before calming down for her latter sentence.

"Oh, I didn't know that's how you felt about it. I'm sorry Artemis. For the record though, you're not stupid not with the way you can learn all that magic." Aaron consoled as the team spread out.

"If you two are done with your whole sibling thing, how about we get to kicking some Undead ass?" Percy suggested as they split off.

"Alright, let's get to it then." Aaron finished as Harry and Percy struck out against Tuzzak, Percy using his polearm weapon to keep the Lich Knight at bay while Harry used his elemental powers to trap it while they prepared to engage it in combat properly.

As they did so, Artemis conjured vines that burst out from the road below and began wrapping around the white Lich Knight Jarcal, slowing his movements as Emlie battled him with Brionac, using her spear more effectively now the foe couldn't attack as swiftly and relentlessly.

As the first two pairs of rangers fought a more tactical and attritious battle, the pink and yellow rangers had opted to throw whatever they had at the pink Lick Knight, and hope that it was enough to destroy the foe. With a leaping strike, Vala struck with a glancing overhead blow before crashing Mjolnir into the ground as she called upon a lightning strike, which electrocuted the Lich Knight and proved to be effective if the scorch marks on the foe's armour was anything to go by. Using her wind element, the pink ranger danced quickly around the attacks of her foe and fired arrows from her bow at short range, chipping away somewhat at the already damaged armour with each shot.

While the new tactical plan to divide and conquer appeared to be effective in dealing with the Lich Knight, Aaron pushed off the scythe of the pale rider and took a few breaths in. Once again, the mounted avatar of death charged at its newfound foe, swinging it's scythe toward the neck of the ranger. Aaron barely managed to raise Excalibur to halt the attack of the horseman. Yet even then, the impact knocked the ranger backwards several feet and managed to knock some of the wind out of him as a result.

"I don't think I'm up for facing the avatar of death, not without any help. Seriously, where's Ichabod Crane when you need him?" Aaron asked in a half joke to try and keep his spirit up before resuming the battle with the horseman.

As he spoke, a man with long dark hair, dressed in colonial attire and wielding a sword that seemed to radiate a strange energy dashed forward. "You called?" The man asked as he ran toward the horseman and lunged the blade into the foe, the pale horse rearing up as pale rider and its steed oddly appeared to fade out of existence only moments after being stabbed.

Aaron stood there dumbfounded. He only knew Ichabod Crane to be a fictional character, surely he couldn't be a real person, what he would be doing in the modern age in addition would be anyone's guess. "So that just happened." Was all the ranger could say as he looked at the man who had proclaimed himself to be the supposedly fictional character.

As the pale rider was fading, the white and blue Lich Knights observed the defeat of their dark ally and broke from their individual fights. "It appears if the tide has turned against us, we should flee and see what Corrus schemes now. It may be easier to let the rangers think they've won and strike at a later date." Jarcal explained to the other Lich Knight.

"And Malzu?" Tuzzak asked, curious as to the potential fate of their ally.

"Malzu has delusions of grandeur beyond what she can become, let the rangers end her, it will be a profound lesson." Jarcal decided as the two left the pink Lich Knight to her fate.

At the scene of the last fight occurring, Lexa drew her bow back as far as she could, infusing her arrows with wind energy while Vala struck Malzu with a bolt of paralyzing lightning. Joining her teammate, Vala charged up Lexa's arrows with some of her lightning elemental energy before Lexa let the arrows fly. The arrows zipped through the air faster than usual, surging with lightning as they struck into the armour of the Lich Knight. Piercing through Malzu's armour, the lightning discharged into the suit as the arrows pierced through the other side of the armour. The combined elemental attack had successfully managed to finish off the pink Lich Knight as the armour became unstable and exploded taking the essence of the Lich with it who shrieked out, terrified to die and lose all hopes of becoming greater than the Lich she had become.

As the rangers demorphed and gathered around, Aaron brought over the man he had encountered. "Good work on getting rid of another Lich Knight you two. The horseman won't be a problem now, Ichabod here's to thank for that." He said as the rest of the team looked at him strangely.

"Who're you talking about, there's nobody here but us. You alright?" Harry asked as Aaron looked to see that where Ichabod was standing there was now nothing there, almost as if he and the weapon he carried disappeared without a trace, in the same manner that the pale rider had.

"Hey, the fog's gone too. That weird thing's happening to me again though. There's somebody else aside from us here, only one person though." Artemis gained their attention as a man in a robe approached them.

Because of the darkness, his face was obscured, but the rangers were almost certain that this was the mage responsible. As he came closer, the rangers could see that he carried two rectangular objects, one in each hand. The mage approached while the rangers reacted defensively, prepared for a fight if they had to.

"Who's there? Are you the one with the piece of the Grail map?" Aaron interrogated from a distance as the mage stepped into the light provided by a nearby streetlight.

"Now that's no way to treat an old friend is it?" An old sounding voice familiar only to Percy, Lexa, Emlie and Aaron spoke as the aforementioned rangers lowered their guard and stared with wide eyes at the mage before them.

"Merlin!?" The four asked in disbelief as the wise wizard gave a smile.

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten me my young friends. I assume you want to know how I'm here and why correct? And to answer your other questions about what the horseman and the other man who joined the fight were about." He correctly assumed as the four nodded their heads.

"Alright, i'll do my best to explain to you. When I fought against Morgana to grant you the powers to combat your demon foes, the blast put me nearer to death than I had been in a long time. That's when I had a vision, of the future, of the Grail and the destruction that would be brought upon this world by your latest foe. I left my robes to make my old enemy Morgana believe I was dead so I could retrieve a piece of the map and protect it at all cost. Fortunately as the creator of the map, I knew where each piece was placed should the grail ever be needed in the fight against evil. This was a duty I couldn't ignore, but I am truly sorry for deceiving you. From there, I knew the magic signature of the map fragment would attract unwanted attention, so I masked the town in a large scale form of what is known as Story Magic. I created the fog as a protective veil while I drew interpretations of the horseman of death and Ichabod Crane from this book as fictionals, characters brought to life through magic, as a protective facade. Now we have reunited and our goal is to find the grail and stop this new foe, it is no longer needed. So my friends, what do you say, care to forgive a relic like me for my deception so we can save the world from this evil?" Merlin asked the team members he had interacted with before.

"Sure." Aaron started. "But only if you help Missy out with her magic studies, we're gonna need everything we can get to beat the Return for one, for another she tends to slack off with studying anything regardless of what it is, so having a tutor should fix that problem."

Merlin gave a chuckle. "Then it's a deal. I'd be happy to teach young Artemis. Though she's a descendant of Morgana, she most certainly seems nothing like my old foe. I think she already has the makings of a fine witch too from what she's already learned by herself. I was observing your fight intently after all."

Artemis gave a pout. "You said you weren't gonna call me Missy anymore!"

"I also said when your mission was over, which it now is, I was back in charge and I could repeal that order if I wanted to. Which I decided to." He said with a cheeky wink as his younger sister growled.

"Curse you…" she muttered with her arms folded as Merlin gave another chuckle.

"Ah you young ones are always fighting amongst yourselves aren't you? If you want to though I can learn you simple non-lethal curses, good for those practical jokes you youths enjoy pulling on each other though."

Artemis' pout quickly changed to a grin. "You better watch your back in the future then Aaron, your plan just backfired a little just now.

"Yeah, maybe I should renegotiate with Merlin on that just to be on the safe side." He said with a laugh, however he couldn't help regret it slightly now that his sister was about to learn how to use magic to pull pranks on others.

 **|Mythos|**

 **And there's chapter 56 and I think that's gonna be all I can do for the day, I'll get back on to writing more chapters tomorrow though so look out for them. So I had Sleepy Hollow featured, because like with the previous location, it's heavily embedded in folklore and myths that are really popular these days. The Lich Knights are down to 2 and Merlin has returned. Though he's been absent for a while, I hope that his reasoning makes enough sense. Initially when he let the story I was uncertain whether or not to bring him back. Having him play a role in the quest for the grail though was too good of an opportunity to pass up though. Now that there's only one map piece left, there's gonna be a pitstop back to Castelan for a couple of chapters before things come to a head as the race to the grail comes to an end. So thanks for reading and I can say that the finale being in sight is a real thing now, until the next chapter!**

 **Next Chapter: Return to Castelan**

 **Synopsis: Having been informed that the final piece of the map lies in the Castelan museum as part of a travelling exhibition, the rangers race quickly to retrieve the map fragment. But are they ready to face what lengths Tuzzak will go to in order to defeat the rangers and secure all five fragments of the Grail map at once? What other surprises lie in wait for the growing group as the quest for the map comes to an end? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	58. Chapter 57: Return to Castelan

Ch57: Return to Castelan

Shortly after rising into the sky, the Straffer Zord had set course for the home town of the Mythos rangers, Merlin directing them there after providing the location of the next fragment of the map. Conveniently, the final fragment of the map that would lead them to the Grail was on display as part of a travelling exhibition of artifacts found in a recent excavation in the west of the country.

Because of the close proximity of their town in the neighbouring state, the journey back to the town only took a couple of hours compared to the lengthy journeys they had taken in the past few days. When the Wing Staffer touched down on the tarmac of the abandoned runway, the sky was still dark and it was late into the night.

As the passengers disembarked from the plane Doctor Ethan Blake looked to his watch and saw that it was well past midnight, the mentor could see that each of his students were tired from both the fight earlier that night and that the previous few incursions without much rest had taken it's toll upon the team. In his hand he carried a large back containing the four map fragments they had collected thus far. "Alright, it's late and I don't think that map fragment is going anywhere soon. I'll take Jamie, Merlin and Kumiho back to the the Command Center along with the map fragments, the rest of you should rest up. If the Undead attack in the night we'll let you all know." He told them as he gathered the technician, wizard and Goddess before departing.

From where he stood, Tyson looked to his old teammates. "Alright, looks like we get some time to relax. It'll be nice to be back home for a little while. So, which of you are gonna let me crash at your place?" He added, putting some worry on the white ranger's face.

"After what happened the last time we had to share a place, It's not gonna happen." She responded, shuddering as she thought back to the situation she was referring to that occurred over a year ago.

"I guess you should stay at mine. After all, you know my parents already so it won't be a hassle." Percy offered before the conversation could derail.

"Alright, it'll just be like old times!" Tyson said in a cheery manner as he and the blue ranger left toward the latter's home.

The current yellow ranger proceeded to return to the entrance to the Straffer Zord as the others sorted out where they'd be staying for the night. "I might as well hang around here with my cousin, he always tells me the most amazing stories you wouldn't believe."

Aaron, Emlie and Lexa all shared the same awkward look, knowing exactly what crazy stories she was referring to. "Trust us, we know." Aaron added as the yellow ranger shrugged and hopped inside the Zord.

Harry gave a shrug, not understanding the conversation without context as he turned to leave. "I should get back home now. I let my Mom and Dad know I was going out of town with you guys for a week or two but it'll be a nice surprise, even if I am coming back late."

Lexa and Emlie followed closely behind, the former speaking up to get the attention of the black ranger. "Harry, you don't live too far from either of us right?" She asked, prompting the black ranger to nod. "Then we might as well all go home at once. That and there's no more food in Stross' Zord and I'm starving, anyone wanna try find a fast food joint still open at this time?" She asked as the two gave small laughs while shaking their heads.

Once the three had left, only the Templar and Dryad rangers were standing in on the runway in the dark of night. "Looks like it's just us left. I called our Dad ahead of us landing to let him know we were coming back for a day or two, so we better get going." Aaron informed his sister who gave a small nod.

"Yeah, we should go. I bet it's been quiet without us around." Artemis added as they started toward the town.

As they walked they saw a shadowy figure stood before them, the darkness obscured it but an uneasy feeling came over the siblings as they looked at the figure. Coming to a halt, they saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a sword in the hand of the figure. Without warning, the figure dashed forward with tremendous speed and reached out with it's hand as it neared the two rangers. Wrapping it's hand around Artemis' neck, it tightened its stranglehold on the teen as it lifted her off of her feet. The young witch gasped for air as the figure suffocated her. From the lights of the nearby Straffer Zord, the features of the figure were faintly illuminated, revealing the figure to be none other than the blue Lich Knight, Tuzzak.

Reacting to what happened, Aaron ran with a closed fist ready to strike Tuzzak and free his sister from the Lich's grasp. The Undead foe quickly countered the blow by bashing the Templar ranger in the face with the crossguard of it's sword. As the ranger collapse to the ground, trying to shake off the impact of the strike, the blue armoured Lich Knight tilted its head toward its downed foe.

"Ranger, you and your team will deliver to me the pieces of the map once you've taken them all. If you don't, then I'll break the witch's pretty little neck while you all watch." Tuzzak threatened as the Lich left the area as quickly as it had arrived, keeping its grip on the Dryad ranger's neck as it fled and leaving Artemis' brother to deal with the ultimatum the Lich Knight had set.

 **[Castelan Museum - Interior]**

Once dawn broke, the Templar ranger contacted his team that assembled quickly in the lobby of the Museum. With their need to find the final fragment of the map dire if they were to save Artemis from the clutches of the Lich Knight, the rangers were preparing to split up to search through the several exhibits that the map could be contained in.

"Alright, as soon as anyone finds the map piece, let everyone else know and we'll come back together. Then we'll deal with the Lich Knight and get Artemis back." Aaron told them as the team spread throughout the building hastily.

Soon coming across a glass case within one of the smaller exhibition rooms, which currently appeared empty, the Templar ranger eyed the fractured stone tablet within.

"Looks like this is the right thing, I just feel bad about robbing a museum to get to it." Aaron muttered under his breath as he placed his hands on the glass.

"Aaron?" A familiar voice spoke out unexpectedly.

Looking behind him, the ranger became surprised at the presence of the only other person in the room with him, someone he had completely missed when looking around the room for witnesses.

"Ben? I'm surprised to see you here, I heard you moved away from Castelan after Abaddon was defeated. It's good to see you though." Aaron greeted the former black ranger Ben Wilson.

Ben gave a smile upon seeing his friend back on his feet. "I actually came back because I heard you were out of your coma. You guys were out of town though so I came to pass the time. I wasn't really expecting to run into you. You're all fighting Undead now aren't you?" Aaron gave a confirming nod as Ben continued. "I wanted to apologise to you and just explain why I ended up leaving. Back when we lost against Abaddon, I just felt so useless against him, the fact we all thought that he'd taken you out made it worse. I lost all hope and I feel even now like I'm useless. I just wanted to get outta the way and decided I should leave. I'm sorry for leaving like that."

"You're not useless Ben, we just lost for once. Sure it might've looked bleak but the team took a big loss. If things had turned out differently, we might've took Abaddon together and still won. If anyone screwed up it was me deciding to take him alone. You're still valuable to the team even now." Aaron paused, his features shifting slightly a couple of times. "That's it." Aaron muttered before focusing on the former black ranger once more. "Listen, Artemis' in danger, she's been kidnapped by the Undead we're fighting. We need to give them something from this Museum to get her, but we need it too. Ben, if we're going to beat them, I need your help. What do you say, willing to risk your neck again?"

Ben processed what Aaron had said for a few moments before giving a nod. "Alright, if you think I can do something, I'll try. What's the plan?"

"First, we've got to take the map fragment, then we'll deal with the Lich Knight who took my sister. Let's get to it then, the rest of the team isn't too far away.

 **[Castelan Museum - Exterior]**

Having quickly grabbed the map fragment from it's display box and regrouped with the others, Aaron and Ben stood outside the building with their friends, having immediately come face to face with the last two Lich Knights. While Tuzzak stood with its blade in hand, it's white Lich Knight ally stood with a hand on the back of the Dryad ranger's neck, its blade to her throat. Artemis stood with her hands bound, unable to cast magic and making any attempt to escape futile.

"We got what you wanted, the other map pieces are on us! You know we won't give them up easily though." Aaron called over to the two as the six rangers drew their morphers while Ben stood behind them, completely out of the Knight's line of sight.

"Then I'll make this simple and take you all down one at a time. Come blue ranger, face your better and be the first to die!" Tuzzak challenged as he stepped forward.

Percy looked to his teammates before stepping forward and raising his morpher. "Mythos Ignite!" he called, morphing amid the shining blue light stemming from his morpher.

From just behind the blue Lich Knight, Jarcal snorted. "You're a fool Tuzzak, destroying them all at once would be far more efficient. It shouldn't be too trivial to eliminate them." It decided, throwing Artemis to the ground as it faced up to fight the remaining rangers.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" The rangers called out, morphing amid a burst of coloured light. Once it had died down and each of them faced up to Jarcal with their weapons, Aaron turned his head back around to Ben.

"Go free Artemis, we'll handle them. We're counting on you." He said before returning to the fight. "Alright, time to show these guys what happens when they hurt one of us." the Templar ranger finished as he pointed Excalibur at the foe and the other rangers charged forward as a melee erupted once again in the streets of the town.

Wielding his trident, Percy quickly parried aside the Lich Knight's sword and struck the Undead foe in the gut with the base of the polearm. Following up with a kick to the chest, Percy knocked Tuzzak backwards, staggering the foe momentarily as Percy span his trident and pointed it at the Lich Knight.

"Maybe you'll be more of a challenge than I thought, blue ranger." Tuzzak commented as it pointed its blade forward and charged at Percy, who prepared to take aside the weapon once more and deal damage to the Undead foe.

While Percy fought one on one with Tuzzak and the other rangers held off Jarcal, Ben had quickly made his way over to the bound Dryad ranger, stealthily avoiding the attention of the Lich Knights as he did so. Leaning down, the former black ranger quickly undid the bindings on her hands.

Artemis gave a grateful look. "Ben, you're back! And you saved me!" She said thankfully as he helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright? Those Undead looked like they were ready to kill you."

"Nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, they didn't even think to take my morpher." She informed him as she produced the device from her jacket pocket. "Time I pay that walking corpse back for kidnapping me. Druidic Energies, Unleash!" Artemis called as the magical energies inside her morpher activated and transformed her into her ranger form.

Producing her staff, the Dryad ranger took aim at Tuzzak and focused her mana into a concentrated energy bolt before letting it loose at the unsuspecting Lich Knight as it locked it's sword with Percy's trident, the energy bolt connecting with its back armour plate. Completely distracted by the fight with the blue ranger, Tuzzak jerked forward, losing focus.

"Wha- Who dares strike me!?" The blue Lich Knight exclaimed with fury as it turned around to face its attacker.

"Maybe you should keep a better eye on your prisoner next time, not that there's gonna be one." Artemis told the Undead Lich.

Tuzzak was about to respond but instead let out a gasp as its body jerked forward once more as the prongs of Percy's trident pierced through the weakened back plate of armour and struck clear through the front piece.

"Y-You… wounded me…" Tuzzak muttered.

"I'll do more than that, you're going down Lich Knight." Percy declared as he conjured powerful jets of water up his trident and into the Lich Knight's armour. Once the water had filled the armour, bursting from the holes made by the prongs, Percy looked over to where the Templar ranger and the others were fighting Jarcal. "Aaron, mind lighting this guy up?"

From where he stood, the ranger pushed off Jarcal's blade and dashed over to where the wounded Lich Knight stood. "It'll be a pleasure." Aaron said as he ignited his sword with brilliant flames before firing several bursts and covering Tuzzak's armour in flames.

In the seconds that passed, the water inside of the armour casing began to boil and soon enough, high pressure steam was bursting from the seams of the armour plating. In mere moments from the water transforming into steam, the plates of the armour burst off of the incorporeal form, clattering to the ground and exposing the Lich's essence.

Directing the flaming Excalibur at the Lich's essence, the Templar ranger dashed forward and leapt at the dark form, striking it in mid-air and bisecting it, destroying it in a bright explosion. "That's for hurting my sister."

From where the last of the Lich Knights stood, fighting against the other rangers, the white armoured foe jumped back and surveyed the area, Jarcal was outnumbered and in trouble without reinforcements.

"We'll finish this another time." The Lich Knight told them as it descended into the ground and returned to the Undercroft. With the rangers possessing all of the fragments of the map, they had scored a large victory, something Jarcal intended for them to be their last.

 **[Command Center]**

Returning quickly to their base of operations with Ben in tow and high off of their latest victory, the rangers quickly assembled with all of their allies in the control room as Jamie and Doctor Blake placed the fragments of the large stone tablet down and began assembling the map. As the final piece was slotted into place, the ancient map lit up, projecting lines of magical energy along it's surface. Looking at it, the two could clearly see familiar landmarks. While Jamie took photos of the completed map to the Holy Grail before them to cross reference and pin down the location of the fabled relic, Kumiho looked to her allies with an appreciative smile.

"Rangers, other mortals... even you Welkin Stross. Thank you all for your aid in finding and assembling the map. With that, our goal is in sight. But the battle won't end there. While the Return and his forces are still active, it would be a risk to go after the Grail. If we are to win, our next step should be to destroy the dark force that lurks in the depths under Castelan." She explained to the assembled group.

As she finished, the alarms within the control room sounded. As the rangers and their allies rushed to the viewing screen, the footage from the cameras around town showed countless Undead soldiers rise up, completely capturing the town as they broke into stores, homes and various other buildings, dragging the civilians inside and putting a blade to the neck of each they held hostage.

The cameras quickly cycled to show Jarcal stood with Shadai and a more heavily armoured Archfiend. Shadai emanated the Return's aura, making the Trickster Goddess viewing shudder at the intense presence of evil bursting from the villain's form.

"Rangers! How do you like the army I've been amassing? I bet you don't recognise your old foe in this new form provided by the Return. That's right, it's me, Shadai. I've come for the map to the Grail, with it I'll unleash the Return and watch as the world is remade in our image! Bring it to me quickly, otherwise I'll execute one of these pitiful mortals for every minute you don't." Shadai demanded as the eyes of the rangers widened.

To have to face their old foe while their entire town was under his hold would be no easy task. With the innumerable army of Draug standing between them and the orchestrator of this latest plan, the seven Mythos rangers wondered just how far they might have to go in defence of their town. If they couldn't beat the Undead horde, perhaps they would in fact have to give in to the demands of the Return's Avatar…

 **|Mythos|**

 **And on that cliffhanger, that's a wrap on this chapter. I really wanted to finish this in the previous week but for various reasons I couldn't. I'll try work to as good a pace I can with these last few chapters though, on the plus side I'm house sitting at the moment so I can work on chapters without many interruptions now.**

 **So Ben's made his return and he's gotten his fight back a little after helping out his old team in their most recent fight. The Return's forces have resorted to hostage tactics now though, initially trying it with Artemis and then taking it to a much grander scale by taking the whole town. With their friends and family in danger now, this fight is gonna be the most biggest, last and most personal fight for the rangers in the town before moving on to the big finish, I think it's fitting where I've placed the Grail, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out where that may be. That's me done for now and hopefully I'll get out another one tomorrow, until then!**

 **Next Chapter: Road to the Grail**

 **Synopsis: Facing up against an army of countless Undead warriors, the Mythos rangers face their greatest challenge yet as they fight against this army to free the town's citizens from the forces of the Return. Will they manage to save their town one last time or will they have to give Shadai what he desires and risk unleashing their foe upon the world in order to save those they care about from Shadai's ruthlessness? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	59. Chapter 58: Road to the Grail

Ch58: Road to the Grail

The atmosphere in the room was tense as all gathered around watching as the screen cycled through several cameras around the city, all they could do was watch as civilians were dragged from buildings around town, Draug breaking into people's homes and putting their weapons to the necks of the horrified populace of the town under hostage.

Each of the teens stood ready to go and deal with the Undead army that had amassed in their town, though they were uncertain what good they could do with such unreasonable demands.

Leaning on one of the desks, Doctor Ethan Blake gave a sigh before turning his attention to the seven rangers. "It's alright everyone, we won't put the town at risk like this. Jamie and I just transferred the photos of the map and we're locking in the location now. In short, we no longer need the map, I hate to say it but just this once we need to give them the map. You can take as many Draug down along the way as you want though, so make this costly." He explained the situation to them as nearby, Kumiho's features hardened.

"You're just handing over the one thing that's keeping the Return from his goal? What's wrong with you!? You understand that saving one town is nothing compared to the death and destruction that will be wrought should it be freed. If you want to save your town then you should fight for it, that's all you mortals seem to understand how to do anyway." She protested.

Next to the Divine, Merlin stroked his beard, contemplating the best course of action before letting his hand rest and opening his mouth. "Perhaps a compromise would be best, let the rangers take the map, if they can't win then they can bargain with it. It would be best if I, Kumiho and Mr. Stross also take to the streets and provide additional support, the rest of you would do well to lock down the location of the Grail and prepare for our departure, regardless of the result. That is my opinion, however, it is up to our young friends to decide. It is their home, friends and families on the line after all." Merlin finished, offering a reasonable alternative to the crisis.

Exchanging a few silent nods with each member of his team, all agreeing on their course of action, Aaron spoke up. "By now I thought everyone understood, no while we still have fight, we don't give in. If there's no other option, we'll make the deal with Shadai. For now though, we'll throw everything we have at these Undead and hope it's enough. Ready everyone?"

As his friends lined up beside the Templar ranger, all seven drew their morphers. "It's morphing time!" They all called out with thunderous harmony.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" Each of them exclaimed as a flash vibrant light flooded the room.

 **[Castelan Streets]**

Cohorts of Draug swarmed through the streets, dragging along hostages toward the centre of the town, vandalising all in sight as they did so. A large group ragging along a few students from the local High School quickly shielded their decayed eyes as a blinding field of light shone over the area. As the Draug guarded, standing still, the seven morphed rangers moved under the cover of Emlie's elemental power, effortlessly dispatching the stunned foot soldiers with their Legendary weapons.

Once the Draug in the area had all been destroyed, the light receded. Looking around, the group of students looked around, both surprised and relieved to see the Mythos rangers stood before them. Seeing one of the students had fallen to her knees, Harry made his way toward the student, only to find it was his photographer friend Julie. The black ranger extended his hand out to her, which she gratefully took.

"Are you okay miss?" Harry asked the unknowing friend.

"Y-Yeah, thanks for saving us… Is something happening? Those monster's haven't attacked like this before." She asked with some worry in her voice.

"Don't worry, we're here to help now, everyone's gonna be alright." Harry reassured as he got a tap on the back from Artemis' staff.

"Hey black, stop slacking off and flirting already! We've got work to do." The Dryad ranger reminded him as he nodded and left with the team, giving a small wave to Julie as he went.

"That's rich coming from you." Percy remarked, getting a slight grumble from the younger ranger.

From where she stood with the other students, Julie's cheeks went warm at the notion that Harry was flirting with her. She couldn't help but give a small laugh at the thought before uttering "Go save the day Power Rangers."

 **[Castelan Streets]**

Deciding to attack from the other end of town, Welkin watched as the combined destructive magical power of Merlin and Kumiho made short work of any Draug that dare attack them. As easy as it would be for the two to obliterate the armies, they opted to use their mana sparingly while Welkin fired off several bursts at the foot soldiers to thin the ranks further.

Welkin gave a bored sigh as he ceased fire and leant on a nearby post, watching the wizard and Divine dispatch yet another squad of Draug. "You sure you two need me? It's probably be easier if I get outta the way and prep the zord for takeoff. Besides, one of you is a powerful old man with a stick and the other is a ravishing Goddess. I doubt you need me, even though I am awesome."

"I wasn't the one who asked for a mortal to tag along. Go if you must, we won't require your aid here. Undead slaying is a simple task regardless. I don't care if you stay or leave here." Kumiho responded as she unleashed a short burst of Divine energy at a large detachment of Draug, completely obliterating them down to the last body.

"Good, at this rate there'll be time for my pre-flight drinks before we take off. Don't worry I rarely crash after I've had a few." Welkin added as he blasted down one more Draug, slinging his pistol around on his finger before holstering it and strolling off back toward the Wing Straffer.

 **[Castelan Town Centre]**

Cutting down any Draug that stood in their path, the rangers soon came to the centre of the town, cleared of Draug while Corrus and Jarcal stood either side of Shadai. The Archfiend held his fist high to stay the hordes now encircling the rangers.

As the seven approached, they saw the sinister grin upon Shadai's face, it looked as if he had already triumphed from the appearance he gave off. Quickly coming face to face with the foe for the first time since he was trapped away in the Cursed Realm, the teens were quickly unnerved by the dark aura radiating from the monstrous being.

Shadai gave a confident laugh as he looked at their armour, scratched and dirtied from the waves they had fought to get to the villain. "So here we all are, enemies old and new, at the end of it all."

"The only end here is gonna be yours Shadai." Aaron declared as the seven readied their weapons once more.

"Oh, I beg to differ. You see you're going to give us the map to the Grail, or there will be consequences. Corrus? Show them our very _special_ hostages." Shadai commanded.

Corrus signalled for a group of around ten Draug to step forth with their hostages, the foot soldiers kicking their captives to their knees and planting their blades on their necks. As the rangers set their gaze upon the hostages their eyes widened behind their helmets and each of their weapons lowered, hit hard by the surprise of who the Undead had in their clutches.

"What's wrong rangers? Surely you must've know that your carelessness would one day put your loved ones in danger. For quite a while now, I've been monitoring you in your daily lives, preparing a contingency plan just in case a situation like this arose. So what will it be, will you choose to save your families or let them die in an attempt to finish them off?" Corrus explained as the rangers looked on, horrified at seeing their family members before them, about to be executed unless Shadai's demands weren't met.

"Mom, Dad…" Emlie muttered with fear in her voice as a Draug pressed its blade against her father's throat.

"Max, not you too. You're gonna pay for taking him hostage." Percy threatened as he brought up his trident, lowering it again when Corrus signalled for the Draug handling Max to prepare the boy for execution.

Harry shook a little upon seeing his mother and father on their knees, beaten and bruised, tears welling from his mother's eyes. "Why are you hurting us, we're no one, what do you want?" She asked, trying to gain some motive of the Undead army's actions.

Lexa placed a comforting shoulder on the black ranger's arm to try and steady him. "It's okay Harry, we'll get through this and we'll save all of them."

The hostage who was roughed up the most, seeming to have put up a ight prior to being caught, was Shaun Du Lac. Blood dripped from his mouth as he put on a brave face in front of his children. "It's okay kids, don't worry about me or the others. Just stop them and save everyone else. I just want you to know, I'm proud of both of you." He said to Aaron and Artemis, sounding as if he had already accepted that it was the end.

Aaron seemed to be about to speak up about it but was interrupted by the clattering of Artemis' staff on the ground. From behind her she drew one of the five map fragments and tossed it over to the Archfiend. "I can't… I can't let him, or any of the others die. Family is family and I can't let that go." She said with her head low, accepting that this time, the Archfiend had won.

Next to walk closer to the Archfiend was Lexa. Drawing the map fragment, she threw it at Corrus before stepping aside. "I'm not going to be responsible for them dying, not when we still have a shot at winning this."

Harry quickly joined giving the map fragment to their foe. "I don't want my Mom and Dad to suffer. I hate it when my Mom cries, this' the only way to keep them safe."

Emlie looked to her boyfriend and lowered her head as she pulled out the fourth fragment. "I don't want to give it to them… but they're my parents, they don't deserve this…" She said before tossing over the fragment.

Aaron gave a sigh and nodded. "I understand." He said while taking out the final fragment. "If we don't give them all of the fragments then they'll still do it. If this is what you've all decided, then I'm with you. We'll deal with the consequences together." the Templar ranger decided as he handed over the last of the fragments and Shadai gave a triumphant laugh.

"Yes! Finally, we have everything we need to carry out our plans, dominion of this world will come soon my partner!" Shadai proclaimed as he looked over to the White Lich Knight. "Jarcal, stay here with some of our remaining forces and destroy the rangers. Now my army, let us leave this place and begin the next phase of our plan!" The villain exclaimed as he, Corrus and a large amount of the Draug horde sank into the ground to begin preparations for the journey to the Holy Grail.

Taking the chance, the seven rangers swung into action, drawing up their Legendary armaments again and making short work of the Draug holding their family members hostage. With no time to rest, a small army of Draug encircling them and a Lich Knight to deal with, the rangers lined up and prepared their weapons again.

Percy span his trident around before readying it once more. "So how are we gonna make them pay for using our families like that?"

"Simple." Aaron started. "We show them no mercy. Legend's Aegis!" He called as the legendary armour encompassed the seven, glistening in the light of the early evening.

"Element of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!" Percy called out, beginning their role call.

"Element of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!" Vala yelled toward the sky.

"Element of Babylon! Mythos Pink!" Lexa said, quickly posing with her bow.

"Element of Astral! Mythos Black!" Harry declared, giving his axe a small spin.

"Element of Elysium! Mythos White!" Emlie exclaimed, resting her spear behind her neck and on both shoulders.

"Element of Albion! Templar Ranger!" Aaron said as he levelled his blade at the Lich Knight before them.

"Warrior of Nature! Dryad Ranger!" Artemis finished, holding her staff high as she let loose a burst of magic that hit a nearby pair of Draug, causing an impressive explosion to occur behind the rangers.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" They all chanted at once as the explosion occurred.

Charging toward the Lich Knight, the rangers called upon their elemental powers as they reached close quarters. Jarcal snarled and looked to the Draug. "I'll deal with them myself." the Undead Lich decided as it brandished its own weapon and charged forward, clashing quickly with an bazing Excalibur.

Pushing off the Lich Knight, the Templar ranger stepped aside as Percy leapt forward, firing powerful jets of water from his trident. The blue ranger quickly stunned the foe using his elemental power as he lunged with the trident, denting the armour of their foe before quickly pulling back. Percy quickly tagging Vala in, the yellow ranger raised the legendary hammer and called forth a bolt of lightning which struck Jarcal, electrifying the water and surging all the way through the armour and frying the foe.

Following on from the attack, Harry slammed his axe into the ground calling up a large mound of earth which he then shattered with his axe as Lexa called upon her own elemental energy as she drew her bow back. Releasing the elementally empowered energy arrow, the projectile flew swiftly into the debris, forcing the shrapnel forward and piercing the armour of the Lich Knight. Jarcal let out a grunt as the shards of earth damaged it's essence within.

Continuing the unrelenting barrage of attacks, Emlie called upon a beam of light, quickly blinding the foe as she levelled her spear and charged forward, piercing the armour deeply and forcing Jarcal to recoil from the injury. As the light receded once again, the wounded Lich Knight was met with Artemis, her staff at point blank range and pointed directly at the opening in its armour.

"So you're the one to end me. Get on with it then you filthy witch."

"Better to be a witch than a soulless monster. You're getting what you deserve." The Dryad ranger said as she unleashed a powerful burst of fiery green magic into the charred and damaged armour of the Lich Knight.

In mere moments, the magical fire burned away Jarcal's essence before incinerating the armoured shell of the fallen foe, leaving only black ashes to fall upon the ground.

Sighing in relief at the defeat of the last of the Lich Knights that had hindered them for a while, the rangers soon returned to battle readiness as the Draug started toward them. To their pleasant surprise however, powerful bursts of magic and Divine energy shredded through the ranks of the small army, decimating it in a matter of seconds. Each of the rangers and civilians now free looked on with shock and awe as the figures of Merlin and Kumiho stood there. Having chosen to expend what energy they had left to finish off what remained of the Undead army, the two appeared exhausted.

Smoke rose from the streets of Castelan, windows and doors were broken and civilians searched frantically for their friends and family that they had been separated from during the occupation. Their town was now free from siege, their families and friends were safe and the rangers had scored yet another minor victory against the forces of the Return. Yet it came at great cost. With Shadai now in possession of the map to the Grail, their foes now had a head start but the rangers wouldn't accept defeat so easily, for the race to the Grail was about to begin.

 **[Wing Straffer]**

With everything prepared and the Wing Straffer quickly in the air, the Grail was in reach. Each of the rangers sat down side by side as Doctor Blake briefed them on the location they had determined the relic was in.

"So, in Legend, the Holy Grail was said to be lost and the Knights of the round table set out to acquire it. Though tales vary on what happened, they found it but the power it contained was far too dangerous, from what Merlin told me, they returned it to it's rightful resting place before separating and the map. From the images we gathered, we've determined the Grail to be hidden within an underground temple, a few miles from the city of Jerusalem." The mentor informed the rangers as Kumiho stepped in.

"There's something more I should tell you all. About the Grail. About the real reason I want to change history and unseal the gateways between worlds. I'm doing it for myself. You see, I was born in a distant Realm known as the Farlands as a minor Divine. I visited this world on my own when I was young, but when I tried to leave, I couldn't the gateways to many realms had been permanently sealed. I spent so many ages alone so to see that the Grail is finally in reach, I believe I owe it tell you all after what you've accomplished so far. I'm doing this for myself, so that I can finally go home and finally be with my own kind after being alone for so long. I'm sorry my plans aren't grander but there's the whole truth." She revealed to them.

Despite her thoughts, the rangers didn't react badly to her selfish goals. "I was wondering what you got out of that plan. But it's alright, even though you just want to go home, you're doing so much more than just opening a portal to your home." Aaron responded, somewhat reassuring the Goddess stood opposite him.

"I figured that this existence might be more interesting if I wasn't restricted to only one Realm."

"Regardless of your motives, it's the right thing to do. Now all we have to focus on is stopping Shadai from reaching the Grail." Aaron added as Kumiho gave a nod.

"Then there's no time to waste."

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 58 finally concluded. Though the immediate threat is over and Castelan was saved for the last time, both sides are going at full speed toward the Grail. I though today's villainous plot was extra evil to have them bargain the lives of the ranger's families for the map fragments and it did work, but the Mythos rangers went all out for some vengeance against Jarcal for that plot. Merlin and Kumiho decimating the remaining army did expend much of their energy so they won't be fighting in the future unfortunately, it was a rather impressive display though. Kumiho also revealed her more personal motives for it. I bet when she was introduced, no one would've expected her motives to be so simple and basic, but Gods have simple needs too I guess.**

 **So, the final battle is about to come under way, it'll be a tough fight through to the Grail and a face off with the brilliantly evil Archfiend just before I bring in the big bad, the final battle is gonna run for the next three chapters, but don't worry, there's still plenty of material after that tying up loose ends and such. That said, the next one should be along in a day or two so until then!**

 **Next Chapter: Malevolent Wish: Part 1**

 **Synopsis: Reaching the Grail temple, the rangers must fight their way through the complex to reach the fabled artifact before Shadai and the Return can enact their plans. But with the Archfiend blocking their way, will they manage to reach it before the villains make their wish? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	60. Chapter 59: Malevolent Wish: Part 1

Ch59: Malevolent Wish: Part 1

A day after the incursion in Castelan, the Wing Straffer flew rapidly through the air, the blinding sun reflecting brightly off of the metal hull of the zord. In no time at all, the vehicle dove down to the scorching desert sands below. In the time since setting off, they were now quickly approaching the Temple and the Grail held within.

Within the cockpit, Welkin lowered the landing gear as he set course for a nearby cave entrance down below. In the next few minutes, the Straffer made contact with the sands below, skidding against the shifting ground before grinding to a halt.

"Another successful landing by the great Welkin Stross." The German spoke over the intercom as he left his seat to join the rest of the passengers.

From where the Old God stood, Kumiho shut her eyes and took a deep breath in before opening them again. "I can feel the power of the Grail radiating underneath us, the cave seen on our way down appears to be our route. Rangers, take point, me and the wizard will cover the rear while everyone else stays between. The Undead will surely be ahead of us, so be on your guard."

"I'd have hoped we would get some time to explore the Temple, with the Grail hiding there, there must be other discoveries waiting within. We can always stay behind a while after we've stopped Shadai and the Return." Doctor Blake fantasised about the temple as their pilot opened the door and they began to disembark.

Once everyone was assembled outside of the cave entrance, Aaron turned to the group, looking at all of the friends and allies that had come together over their time as rangers. "Alright everyone, we've got what's left of the Undead army to fight through, then we'll have Corrus and Shadai to deal with. Let's get to saving the world everyone." He addressed them before turning and leading them through the cave and into the ancient Temple which housed the prize they had been seeking.

 **[Grail Temple - Entrance]**

Making their way through the cave, Emlie conjuring a sphere of light in her palm to illuminate the area. Through the cave was narrow, it soon widened out into a chamber with an intricately carved door made from the stone of the cave.

The group quickly spotted two Draug sentries posted at the door, fortunately they hadn't spotted the rangers or their allies yet thanks to the darkness of the cave. Lexa summoned her bow to her side and drew back two energy arrows and transferred a minor portion of her wind elemental energy into them before Aaron gave the signal for her to fire. Releasing the string, the arrows zipped forward, splitting up and homing in on the Undead warriors before finally striking the two sentries in the head, dropping them quietly.

"Nice shooting, let's hope there aren't too many more up ahead." Percy complimented his girlfriend as the group headed through the entrance way and into the first chamber of the hidden Temple. Lexa returned it with a smile as the rangers emerged into the first chamber which was lit up by large braziers at each side of the room.

As their allies joined them, their mentors took quick interest in the strange designs and scripture lining the walls. In some ways it resembled how the Egyptians would line the walls with hieroglyphics but the text was unlike anything from the ancient world.

"I've never seen a text like this before, fascinating." Doctor blake said as he took a few quick pictures with the camera he had brought along.

"I understand the feeling, even though I've studied arcane scriptures similar to this, there's nothing else like it in this world." Merlin spoke up as Kumiho also studied the text.

"I can make out some words too, but nothing to make a coherent sentence. I believe this text precedes even me, whoever the architects of this temple and perhaps even the Grail were, there are still many secrets left behind here to be uncovered. Though we should continue for now, there are bound to be more Draug nearby, who knows when they might spring out and attack." Kumiho explained.

"I think I've got a pretty good idea when." Vala pointed toward the door in front of them as several Undead flooded out of the door.

"How many more Undead are we going to have to fight, how many more do they have? Id've thought we'd got rid of them by now." Artemis groaned as they reached for their morphers.

"Well the dead do outnumber the living, so as many dead as they can raise. It's a good job numbers don't mean a thing." Harry replied taking his teammate's comment seriously.

"There better not be any more left after we beat Corrus and Shadai. I am so done with zombies." Emlie commented as the Draug began to charge at the seven.

"Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" The rangers called as a brief flash of coloured light shone over the room as they morphed and immediately advanced with their Legendary weapons to cut through the Undead foes before them.

Calling forth a large wave of water, the blue ranger quickly soaked the draug in water, causing a few to lose their footing on the wet stone floor. Giving a nod, Percy prompted Vala to follow up. Raising Mjolnir high, the yellow ranger unleashed several bolts of electricity that surged through the ranks of the Draug, paralysing several while completely frying a few Undead stood in small puddles of water.

"Alright everyone else, the rest are yours." Vala told her comrades as Aaron and Harry charged forward.

The former ignited Excalibur, coating it in flames as he bore the legendary blade through the Undead warrior's body. As he did so, Harry took a wide swing, bisecting two of the Draug effortlessly. With only two foes remaining, Elie levelled her spear and charged forward, running the foe through before unleashing her elemental light into it's body and dissolving the form of the Draug. Planting her staff in the ground, Artemis made short work of the foe in front of her, firing off a magic missile through its torso, dropping the Undead foot soldier in an instant.

Lowering her arcane weapon, the Dryad ranger stepped forward and looked through the door at what lied ahead of them. A steep and long spanning set of stairs descended into the depths of the Temple. The team had managed to clear the first hurdle, but more tasks were ahead of them if they were to stop the villains from achieving their goals.

 **[Grail Temple - Great Chamber]**

Deeper within the ancient subterranean structure, the Archfiend and Shadai stood inside a vast chamber, walls lined in the mysterious scripture, a majority of the remaining Undead soldiers patrolling the area while the two villains stood before a grand door, sporting similar mysterious carvings to that which lined the walls. Unfortunately for the two, it appeared to be sealed, with no clear way to open it.

"We're close." Came the chilling voice of the incorporeal mastermind inside of Shadai's head. "Just beyond this sealed door lies one final antechamber, beyond that lies the prize which we seek." The Return explained to his partner in villainy.

"Then soon enough this world will fall and I shall rule it once more." Shadai revelled at the prospect and how close he was to achieving his goals.

"Then let us use our power to break this seal and continue to our prize. No doubt those foolish mortals are making their way through the Temple as we speak. Don't worry about them though, if they do make it here, they'll be met with an unstoppable object by the name of Corrus." The malicious entity replied as the Archfiend took point in the centre of the Grand Chamber before drawing its ancient weapon from its scabbard.

Once the Undead Commander was in position, Shadai turned his attention back to the sealed door and began channeling his dark power along with the Return's own power to begin breaking through and claiming the powerful artifact that lied ahead.

 **[Grail Temple - Mysterious Chamber]**

Having pushed through two chambers and eliminating a few more Draug patrols along the way, the rangers and their allies entered the next chamber in their route. Though void of any Undead warriors, the layout was different to every other chamber they had been through. No scripture lined the walls, however, several odd structures appeared to be housed here.

Four stone arches stood near each corner of the room, strangely they offered no apparent purpose. Kumiho took quick interest on the stone pedestals stood in front of each arch. Wiping her hand along and clearing off the dust, the Trickster revealed a completely different form of text which she quickly took interest in. Reading it, the Divine's eyes widened and she gave a small smile at whatever the contents of the text told her. "This is written in the tongue of the Farlands, it's a gateway back to my home." She informed them as she strolled over to the pedestals in front of the other gateways and read the text upon them. "These are also written in different tongues corresponding with the land the gate is connected to. This one here is a gateway to the Underworld, and the one opposite goes to the High Heavens. The last one eludes me though, it's different to the text in the rest of the temple but I don't recognise it." She explained the purpose of the room as Doctor Blake and Jamie took notes.

"Once this' all over you'll be able to get to your home pretty quickly then." Aaron commented as the rangers began making their way down into the next chamber, none of them aware of the foe they were about to face.

"Let us hope by the end of this that our enemies don't succeed, otherwise there won't be a home for me to return to." Kumiho commented, worried about the potential outcomes of their quest.

 **[Grail Temple - Great Chamber]**

From the sentry position the Archfiend had taken, the Undead Commander watched patiently at the doorway from which the rangers and their allies would enter through, his soldiers had set up ambush points at each side of the room. Corrus wondered how long the last of his soldiers would last against his most challenging foes since his revival. For a while now, he had been preparing for the confrontation with the rangers, tempering his armour to withstand the hits from their weapons, warding it against both elemental and magical attacks. Even then, building up his armour so much was a cumbersome tactic, especially when the gaps between his impenetrable armour plating wouldn't last long. It would be disastrous for the Archfiend for his foes to figure out that weakness but it was also the reason he intended to defeat the rangers with superior combat tactics and ability before they had a chance to figure it out.

Behind the Undead Commander, Shadai, forced out one last burst of dark energy at the door before the scripture of the door lit up and some ancient mechanism within clicked, the formerly sealed door slowly sliding back before rolling to the side, finally opening the way to the grail.

Entering into the antechamber Shadai grinned, the Grail was in his grasp and the rangers were nowhere in sight. Rushing forward, the villain was surprised when he was repelled back by what appeared to be a magical field within the antechamber, the last line of defence keeping him from the Grail.

Shadai grunted before channeling his dark energy again. "No wall will keep me from my prize now I'm so close!" Shadai exclaimed as he unleashed a burst of his dark power into the wall, weakening it substantially. Though the magical wall hadn't been broken yet, it would be only a matter of time until it was no more, then Shadai would have his victory and finally rule over the world like he had planned aeons ago.

Within the Great Chamber, numerous footsteps could be heard echoing from the hallway. Corrus quickly signalled to the two six Draug groups to prepared to ambush the rangers. As the first of them emerged and the Draug began their attack, a bright sphere of light shot forward and blinded the room, though Corrus had planned for it and stood unaffected, he watched as the rangers looked at the Draug shielding their eyes before moving quickly to eliminate them. Once the light had died down, all that was left standing in the way of the rangers reaching the Grail and Shadai was the Archfiend himself.

Assembling opposite him, the rangers quickly readied themselves. Once the Archfiend was certain he would get a good fight out of them, he charged forward without word or warning, clashing blades with the Templar ranger first and foremost.

Aaron ignited his blade and slipped under the guard of the Undead commander, striking the fiery weapon across Corrus' armour only for it to have no effect. Aaron jumped back, surprised that Corrus had completely negated any damage Excalibur could've inflicted.

Percy and Emlie struck with their weapons next in a simultaneous attack. Corrus caught the blue ranger's trident with his blade and used his unnatural strength to throw him to the side. He easily brushed off the white ranger's spear attack before turning his attention to the next attackers. While Lexa kept her distance, providing arrow support while helping the blue ranger to his feet as the rangers Corrus had already bested regrouped, Harry and Vala charged forward with their weapons.

The black ranger swung Parashu at Corrus' helmet, but the Archfiend quickly grasped hold of Harry's hand. With a swift thrust of his weapon, the Undead Commander lunged it into Harry's side, piercing the ranger suit and greatly injuring the black ranger as he let out a yelp. As Corrus withdrew his blade, blood poured from the wound. Harry kept his hand on the injury as he backed off while Vala exchanged blows, fighting with fury now her comrade had been injured.

Despite the strength of the hammer on it's own, it wasn't enough to keep up with Corrus' strength, her elemental abilities also appeared to just bounce off the armour of her foe whenever she tried to use them against her foe. Corrus quickly changed tactics, striking the yellow ranger with the back of his hand and knocking her to the ground. Walking toward her, Corrus placed his blade on the back of her shin before piercing through her ranger suit with his tainted blade and tearing through her calf. Valaa screamed out at the pain as Corrus revelled in slowly wearing down his foes before going in for the kill.

The Archfiend quickly turned his attention to the Dryad ranger, having not done battle with her in the current fight yet, he was sure she could put up a good fight compared to the rest which didn't seem to affect him at all.

"Hey, Artemis, have you got some kind of magic that he won't be able to stop? He's repelled just about all of our attacks so if you've got something up your sleeve it's best we use that now." Aaron asked, his sister quickly thinking before giving a hesitant nod.

"Y-Yeah but I don't think it's such a good idea. If I use it this whole place might collapse and kill us too. You sure you want me to use it?" She asked as she dodged a few strikes from their seemingly impenetrable foe.

"I don't think we have another choice. Just get that spell ready, we'll buy you some time." Aaron replied as Artemis gave a nod and leapt backward a few feet while Aaron and the other uninjured rangers fought with Corrus to buy Artemis time to complete the spell.

"It might take some time since I have to speak this spell. Good thing this one's in english though." She said she gripped her staff with two hands and pointed it at the Archfiend. "From the blackest darkness to brilliant light. Raging flames decimate all in their wake. Come forth and ruin all in thy path…" Artemis began to chant as a sphere of energy shifting chaotically between dark and light formed in front of her staff.

Merlin noticed the spell she was attempting to cast and directed his attention toward the rangers fighting still. Fortunately Harry and Vala had been taken away from the fight by Ben and Tyson so they could safely recover. "Rangers, you need to get away from the Archfiend now and brace yourselves. Everyone else, brace for the shockwave, this spell is powerful and might do more than just knock you off of your feet if you aren't careful." He warned as Artemis finished charging up her spell.

Taking one last breath in as the rangers got to safety, Artemis spoke the last word of the highly dangerous spell, its name. "Explosion!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs as the chaotically flowing energy shot toward and connected with the Archfiend, detonating and causing a brilliant explosion that enveloped much of the room, knocking several of the rangers off of their feet from the shockwave of the blast.

The smoke quickly cleared and showed how much damage the spell Artemis had just used had caused. Though the Temple appeared stable, there was a small crater within the Grand Chamber's floor. In it stood the scorched and fatally wounded figure of the Archfiend, his armour was completely decimated but he wore a grin and laughed, almost as if he was the one victorious.

"Now I understand why you defeated quite a few of the Lich Knights, little witch. You're powerful, impressively powerful. It won't be enough though. My master has already won. Right now, he and the foolishly power hungry Shadai are in the room with the Grail and my master will finally free himself and devour this world. You may have defeated his followers but the power you wield is nothing compared to his. Enjoy your triumph over me, for I can guarantee it will be the last victory you'll ever have." Corrus said to them, laughing once more as he took his sword, now shattered and little more than a dagger and stabbed himself in the chest and putting an end to himself. Collapsing The Skeletal figure smiled maliciously once more. "And so the end begins." He finished, ceasing all movement before turning to dust before their eyes.

As they regrouped, Harry and Vala having demorphed, the rangers gave a relieved sigh that the immediate threat was over. Jamie and Doctor blake checked the wounds of the black and yellow rangers before the latter spoke up.

"Vala and Harry got serious injuries from fighting Corrus back there. Merlin is well versed in healing magic but it'll take some time to fix the damage, time we don't have." He said before turning to the two former rangers. "You'll need to be at full strength if you're gonna fight Shadai and the Return. That's why you two should substitute for Harry and Vala, is that alright?" The two gave affirmative nods as they were passed back their amulets and morphers temporarily.

"Alright rangers, you heard Corrus, Shadai's already in there with the Grail, let's go and stop him before it's too late." Aaron told his team as the seven of them headed through the great door and into the antechamber to face their enemy for the final time.

 **[Grail Temple - Grail Chamber]**

Shadai strode toward to a pedestal within the centre of the chamber, upon it sat an ornate goblet, ancient scriptures similar to that which lined most of the Temple's walls lining the surface of the object. Bright red jewels and decorative patterns were worked into the middle half of the Grail which sparkled like the rest of the legendary artifact and drew in the villain.

Taking hold of the Holy Grail, Shadai let out a triumphant cheer as he held it high. "Yes! It's mine, with this I can wish for everything I've ever dreamed of, rulership over this world, unlimited power, everything!"

Shadai was only met with the deep and unsettling laugh of the Return as the grail shone with a stranger golden energy. "What a fool Shadai, to think, after all this time you've never truly understood my intentions. I gave you my power as my part of our contract. When I sent the wisp to attack, I told you everyone has a price, some don't know they've paid it yet. Now we have the Grail in our grasp, my payment from you is due." The Return explained the situation to Shadai, beginning to reveal to his just to what extent he had betrayed the shadow being. "Now I make my demand from the Grail. By sacrificing the soul of the being who holds it to the Grail, I wish to be released into this world with all of my power so I may devour it as I please!" The Return demanded as Shadai began to panic.

"Return! You betrayed me, this is what you were using me for all along was it? I'm just disposable to you. You'll regret this!" Shadai futily proclaimed as the energy around the Grail extended around him and completely absorbed the Villain into it before the grail went dark again and clattered to the ground.

In Shadai's place was another being, a humanoid figure made up of what appeared to be black fire, three arms sat on each side of the strange and corrupt entities body as it stared towards the seven rangers arriving moments too late, red flames acting as eyes as it regarded them as nothing more but insects.

"Where's Shadai? What are you?" Aaron demanded to know from the fiery being before them as it gave a dark laugh, prompting the rangers to raise their guard as Kumiho and the remaining members of the group arrived.

"Shadai outlived his usefulness, I sacrificed his life to make my wish and unleash myself on the world." The Return answered.

"Then you're the Return, but that form… It looks familiar." Kumiho deducted before trying to place where she had seen the form the Return had taken on.

"That is the name I went by to fool so many into helping me. Deceit, death, destruction, the perversion of nature. That is all my nature, but the Return you speak of is just another facade. I am Kroni, the Primordial manifestation of evil, the devourer of this and every other world before him. Once I deal with these Power Rangers, I'll devour the rest of this pitiful world, then perhaps I'll move on to devouring your home, Kitsune. You may be a minor Divine, but you are nothing compared to a Primordial entity, there is no use in stopping me. Now to the surface vermin, where we shall do our final battle." Kroni revealed himself as the dark fires of his body spread around the rangers and in an instant they disappeared, along with the manifestation of evil that had taken them.

Kumiho looked visibly shaken by the reveal, her eyes wide with fear now she knew who had just entered the earthly realm. Merlin placed a hand on her shoulder and looked to the Divine being. "What's wrong Kumiho? Who is this Kroni, what are our young friends in for?" He asked as she turned to face the remaining members of their group.

"Kroni was born in the beginning days of this Universe, the first evil to ever come into existence. He devours all physical matter he can, absorbing its energy and making himself stronger but he has an insatiable hunger. He was trapped before humanity came to be but his legend still lives on. Most Divines are nothing compared to that power. To put it short they're fighting a literal manifestation of evil which is essentially a Primordial Super-Deity in terms of power." Kumiho explained the situation as the hope drifted out of her voice.

"Then what hope do they have to defeat Kroni?" Merlin asked to which Kumiho shook her head.

"It would take the power of several of the most powerful Divines to defeat him, unfortunately no there aren't any here on earth to do so. Compared to Kroni, the rangers don't stand a chance."

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 59, so they managed to finish off the Draug, and scrape through the fight with Corrus, though Ben and Tyson are now subbing for Vala and Harry. I had them return to reprise their roles for the final battle if you're wondering if that was planned. Unfortunately for Shadai, he got tricked and sacrificed, again. Though he's gone for good now. Unfortunately, the rangers have to go toe to toe with a Primordial Super-Deity/the physical manifestation of pure evil in order to save the whole of existence from being devoured by him. Perhaps I went a little overboard but trust me, it's a cakewalk compared to what I've got planned for some stories, hopefully I'm not going too over the top with it though. Don't lie though, while it might sound like an extravagant task and near impossible it also sounds pretty cool. If it's any consolation, at least Artemis didn't kill everyone with that explosion spell she tried out for the first time. It'll take a lot more than that to beat Kroni though.**

 **Now the threat level has been established I might as well say that Kroni is an actual figure in Mythology. As established he's the primordial manifestation of evil born at the beginning of the universe, but he's essentially the equivalent of the devil in Ayyavazhi Mythology, which is part of the religious mythology of the Hindu sect by the same name. It might seem a strange choice but it fits all the 'super powerful devourer of worlds' criteria I was looking for when looking for manifestations of evil that the final villain could be. If you're interested in it further look it up, and if you're looking for someone to blame for all the world's or all of life's problems, in the Myths this is the primordial entity responsible for everything bad in the world/life. So if there's nothing else to take away from it at least there's someone new you can blame for everything. That's probably enough talking from me now though, thanks for reading and until the next chapter.**

 **Next Chapter: Malevolent Wish: Part 2**

 **Synopsis: With the rangers pulled into a battle with the Return, revealed to be a Primordial Entity Kroni whose power rivals that of even some of the most powerful Gods, our heroes are faced with probably the greatest and most challenging fight they will ever take part in. But what can a band of humans with some of the greatest armaments from ancient Mythology do against the godly force that is Kroni? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	61. Chapter 60: Malevolent Wish: Part 2

Ch60: Malevolent Wish: Part 2

The flames of Kroni's body that had ensnared the rangers quickly receded as the light of the desert sun shone overhead and the seven rangers found themselves stood upon the desert sands opposite the Primordial Entity that would devour all life if he wasn't stopped.

The ancient being studied them for a moment, taking the time to size up the enemies that had trifled with his every move and halted his return for far longer than he intended to be trapped away.

"It's impressive to see how a group of lowly mortal creatures halted their world's destruction for so long. What do you hope to achieve? The sheer power I can wield rivals that of the most powerful Divines and you think you can stop me? The greatest power you have lies in your weapons, but they hold only a fraction of the power that a lesser Divine would." Kroni tried to deter the rangers as they formed a line for the final time, whether it was victory or for defeat, they were going to fight the Primordial evil before them and do as much as they could to stop the foe.

Each ranger drew their morphers and took a breath in before activating the devices and becoming covered in blinding coloured light. "Mythos Ignite!" "Templar Power, Activate!" "Druidic Energies, Unleash!" they called as the light began to dissipate and reveal them in their ranger forms.

"This is it Kroni, we'll make you pay for everything you've done!" Percy declared, twirling his polearm before readying himself. "Element of Atlantis! Mythos Blue!"

"You might be an unstoppable force but we're just as unstoppable, don't underestimate us!" Tyson called out, planting his fist holding Mjolnir into his free hand. "Element of Asgard! Mythos Yellow!"

"You know if it wasn't for you I could be sat eating right now, don't get between me and my food." Lexa threatened as she prepared to fire her bow at the Entity's body. "Element of Babylon! Mythos Pink!"

"I might not be as strong or brave as everyone else, but at least unlike you I have a heart!" Ben taunted as he rested the large axe Parashu upon his shoulder. "Element of Astral! Mythos Black!"

"You might've got the better of me by using zombies against us but I'm not scared about fighting a fiery freak like you!" Emlie exclaimed, thrusting her spear out toward Kroni. "Element of Elysium! Mythos White!"

"No matter what you throw at us, we'll come out on top. We might not be as strong as you but we'll endure it all and never give up till we've beaten you!" Aaron declared as he ignited Excalibur with a stream of elemental fire and leveled it toward Kroni. "Element of Albion! Templar Ranger!"

"I like this world and I don't want it to end, so you're not eating even a tiny chunk of it!" Artemis finished off as she clutched her staff and pointed it at the Primordial Entity. "Warrior of Nature! Dryad Ranger!"

"Get ready Kroni, because this is where you fall." Aaron added as the team prepared to finally take on Kroni in what they hoped would be the last battle they would ever have to fight.

"Power Rangers, Mythos!" They called out as a malicious fiery grin came across the face of their unbeatable foe.

"Good, you still have a lot of fight in you, I'll savour breaking your spirits." Kroni told the seven as he burst forward with unnatural speed as the rangers braced themselves.

The Templar ranger brought his sword into an overhead strike, however, Kroni quickly caught the blade with two of his six appendages. Taking the initiative the villain used Aaron's own momentum against him, throwing him several feet in the air.

As Aaron fell down onto the sands and slowly began to rise, Kroni set his eyes on the remaining rangers in front of him. The Primordial Entity threw several of its fiery fists into Tyson, winding the yellow ranger as he dropped to one knee. From behind their foe, Ben swung his axe managing to cut through Kroni's body slightly only for the wound created to regenerate as some of the sand below the fiery form was absorbed into the figure.

Acting on the instinct to help her friends and regroup, Emlie unleashed a bright flash of light momentarily blinding the evil avatar. As she ran by Kroni, she lunged her spear into his form before regrouping with the rest of the team, Percy and Lexa helping Tyson to his feet as he recovered.

"This guy's tough any plans on how we take him down?" Tyson asked as they spread out and readied themselves for a second round.

"We should go all out with our elemental powers, show this guy who he's messing with." Lexa suggested, the other rangers nodding in agreement.

"Alright, Emlie, you blind him for a few seconds while Percy puts up a barrier of water around him. Lexa, you take some shots at him. Ben, I need you to trap him using your earth abilities when Percy lets loose his wall, then Tyson can let loose some thunder. I'll hold him off for a little after while Artemis prepares some crazy powerful spell like always. That sound good for everyone?" Aaron decided, as his team, other than the Dryad ranger began preparing their elemental attacks.

"Sorry but I've got a bit of bad news… After all the fighting we did in the Temple, I've spent most of my Mana, I won't be able to do anything too big against him." Artemis apologized as her brother shook his head.

"It's alright, we'll just have to take him out the usual way, you hang back and provide support then." He finished as Emlie unleashed a bright sphere of light, blinding their foe for a few moments as from where he stood, Percy brought up a swirling barrier of water around Kroni.

As Lexa shot energy arrows through, piercing Kroni's body, though it quickly regenerated with the consumption of some of the ground below. As the light died, Percy ceased controlling the barrier of water, which soon collapsed and soaked the fiery body of the malefic Entity along with the ground around it. As steam rose from Kroni, Ben controlled the sand around their foe's feet, trapping him from moving. In quick succession, Tyson rose his hammer high, calling down a powerful bolt of lightning that struck Kroni, lighting up the area for a moment.

When the lightning dissipated, Aaron was about to leap and strike their foe with Excalibur, only to see that their foe was unscathed and wore what could only be described as an oddly humored expression.

"Is that really all you have? You may have cut my form a few times but I can recover. It's a shame that I have to end this so early, but if there's no more surprises, I won't waste my time." Kroni decided as the rangers formed up again.

"Then we'll take this fight to the next level. Everyone?" Aaron prompted at they rose their Legendary weapons and they began to glow with a golden light.

"Legend's Aegis!" The Mythos rangers called forth as they were clad once more into their empowering armour.

"So, the mortals wield more power, too bad it won't help." Kroni dismissed them changing into their Legendary armour before flexing his six arms and preparing to take on the rangers again.

 **[Grail Temple - Grail Chamber]**

As the battle raged upon the desert overhead, the remaining members of the group that had entered the Temple waited, listening to the walls, ceiling and floor quake as powerful attacks were unleashed all around them.

While Merlin tended to Harry and Vala with his healing magic, Doctor Blake gave a worried look to Kumiho. "You said that they couldn't beat him right? That he's too powerful and anything less than a handful of Gods wouldn't be able to beat him? Tell me there's some other way to end this that doesn't involve him winning." He demanded to know as Kumiho looked to him, visibly distressed.

"You mortals have treated me with Kindness and helped me to trust your kind again, that in itself I feel like I must repay. There is only one way to help them defeat Kroni. He is a Primordial force of pure evil and as I said, only a group of powerful gods would be able to defeat him. We're in possession of the Grail now. As I stated at the beginning of our quest, there is little that the Grail can't give you, but to eliminate a Primordial entity is out of it's reach. Fortunately, bestowing Divine power isn't" Kumiho began to explain, the mentor scratching his chin at what she was suggesting.

"So that's what your plan is."

"I'm conflicted. On one hand, bestowing upon them temporary Divine power to defeat Kroni could save the day, but our chances at opening the gates between worlds would be gone. If I were to open the gates though, we'd have achieved our goal and the Divines within other Realms would most likely come to deal with Kroni so that he is of no threat to them. Even so, the rangers would probably be lost. I don't want to let them die, but wouldn't sacrificing a few be a greater outcome given what is gained?" She explained her crisis of conscience, still undecided whether she should follow her logical solution or allow compassion to dictate her usage of the Grail.

Harry and Vala exchanged worried glances before the latter spoke up, letting out a pained grunt as he did so. "Please Kumiho… Don't let our friends die, we'll figure out another way to get you home, help them defeat Kroni."

From her pocket the Trickster Goddess drew a rune stone, resonating with Kroni's dark energy. 'I wish Redcloak was here, he would know what was the right thing to do. Everyone seems to end up leaving me alone in the end, will the death of the rangers be any different if I use this for my own wish?' Kumiho asked herself as she took a few steps toward the Grail lying on the floor.

 **[Desert Battlefield]**

As Aaron, Percy, Tyson and Ben attacked simultaneously with their weapons, charged with elemental energy. The number of attacks at once combined with the long ranged attacks from Lexa and Artemis easily overwhelmed Kroni's defences as the four weapons cut through or broke off four of their foes arms.

With the remaining two, the Primordial Entity knocked back the four rangers, their feet skidding against the sands as they grinded to a halt. Kroni looked to his severed limbs and gave a dark chuckle as they regenerated before the eyes of the rangers.

"Damn, this guy keeps regenerating whenever we hit him. How are we even supposed to fight someone this strong?" Ben asked rolling his shoulder that he had pulled in his last attack.

"You're foolish to keep up your attacks mortals. Let me show you how futile your efforts are." Kroni spoke as he absorbed more of the desert landscape around him.

Holding his six hands closely together, the Primordial evil charged up a sphere of his deadly power for several seconds. As the other rangers backed up and put up their guards, the Dryad ranger took point, planting her staff into the ground.

"I'm not sure how much I can hold his attack, if I lose all my Mana I'll be out of this fight." She informed them as she prepared to project a protective ward over them.

"We've gotta hold out, so hang on in there, we've just gotta hope that we'll find a way to beat him." Aaron tried to reassure both her and the others.

As the sphere of dark energy reached its limit, Kroni fired it out in a warping beam that collided with the large magical ward Artemis projected quickly. The barrier held for a few seconds, but the Dryad ranger's mana was draining rapidly. Artemis gritted her teeth as she began to lose her footing, holding onto her staff to keep her from falling. Kroni grinned as he saw the distress underneath the ranger's helmet and with one final burst in power, the Primordial Entity shattered Artemis' ward, blasting her backward into the other rangers and causing a large explosion, knocking the ranger's out of their Aegis armour and to the ground.

Kroni gave a smirk, confident that they weren't going to rise. Unfortunately for the Primordial Entity, the rangers rose, struggling to keep going and scorch marks on their ranger suits, yet still they had fight in them. "I'm growing tired of your persistence, allow me to put an end to you quickly." Kroni decided as he absorbed more of the matter around him growing to a supersized state that meant only one thing, they would have to call forth their Megazords to defeat such a gigantic foe.

"And here I though we'd never be using the Megazords again, let's hope that's all we need to take down Kroni." Percy said as the seven raised their weapons to the sky, ready to summon their zords and take this battle to it's third and maybe final stage.

 **[Grail Temple - Grail Chamber]**

Kumiho looked at the rune stone full of Kroni's energy and gave a sigh. "I release you." She chanted as the energy within began to empty out in front of her, soon taking shape of the robed traitor she had imprisoned inside.

Once more, Reaper stood before her, a frustrated look on his face as he took in the sight of his former mistress. "You'll pay for trapping me there you third rate Goddess. The Return and I will eliminate Shadai and you then we'll rule this world as partners!" Reaper spat, unaware of the events that had transpired since Kumiho had imprisoned him.

Promptly, Kumiho brought her hand back and struck the traitor hard in the side of the face. "You dare talk down to me you insignificant fool? Shadai has already been betrayed, used as sacrifice, you would've been next in an effort for him to further his plans. The one you call the Return is in fact the Primordial evil known as Kroni, he has no desire to rule he only wishes to devour everything to try and sate his insatiable hunger. Whether you like it or not, you will help me stop him."

"I'd never help out a weak Divine such as you, I'll take power and become a God myself if I have to, then Kroni will regret trying to use me!" Reaper proclaimed his plans for godhood as Kumiho rolled her eyes.

"Power hungry mortals are all the same. You want to become Divine but you don't understand what it entails, what the rules are. Be my guest then, in fact why don't we take hold of the Grail together, it has a greater chance of working if a Divine is also there." Kumiho lied to the unassuming Reaper as he smirked, thinking he had finally gained all he believed he deserved.

"Then let us not waste time. I want to wield unlimited power as soon as I can, then, then you'll all bow before me." Reaper schemed at the prospects of what he could do with Godly powers, completely oblivious as to what would happen once he touched the Grail.

 **[Desert Battlefield]**

Out on the dwindling desert, the battle between the hulking form of Kroni and the two Megazords operated by the Mythos rangers. While the core rangers operated the Colossus Megazord, Aaron and Artemis commanded the Nature's Warden Megazord.

While the Colossus Megazord drilled into Kroni's body with the mole-drill arm, it used the dear-shield arm on its left side to block some of the arms of the Primordial Entity. As it did so, the Nature's Warden cut swiftly through Kroni's body parts, but their powerful foe simply regenerated himself by devouring even more of the landscape around them.

"Seriously, can't this guy quit his plans to devour everything in distance and take up something quiet like garden design? He's doing that good at remodelling the desert I doubt he'd have trouble finding work." Emlie half joked as the two zords fought on.

In a surprising turn of events, Kroni grinned victoriously as he unleashed six beams of powerful energy from his hands, sustaining them by absorbing more of the matter around him. At this point, he had absorbed that much of the san beneath their feet that the large crater was forming and the top of the Grail Temple that had been hidden under the sands for ages was now being revealed. Though only the top of the Temple was showing now, more of the desert ground was being absorbed by the second and it wouldn't take long for the Temple to be completely exposed. His dark energy beams persisting, the two Megazords began surging as Kroni gave one final push, blasting the zords apart, though they fortunately appeared to be in tact.

The rangers collapsed to the ground as their zords lay damaged outside the exposed Temple as Kroni took in more of the desert, increasing his power and nearly completely exposing the ancient Temple. Kroni decreased his size as he walked up toward the downed rangers as they failed to stand.

"And now rangers, our battle has come to an end. Think of it as a great honour to be the first humans absorbed by the ultimate Primordial Entity." Kroni told them as he began extending his form out around the seven rangers, blacking out everything as his form began to completely enclose around them.

 **[Grail Temple - Grail Chamber]**

Kumiho and Reaper stood holding the Holy Grail with one hand each while facing each other. In the next few moments, the two, along with the rest stood in the chamber, watched with slight surprise as the gaps between the stone lit up as fresh rays of sun graced the inside of the Temple for the first time in aeons.

Kumiho looked with worry before turning back to look at Reaper. "Kroni has already absorbed much of the ground here, he's just exposed the Temple. I fear that the rangers won't have long so it's time."

"Finally, hurry and make me a God already." Reaper told her impatiently as Kumiho let out a small laugh.

"You really think I'd do that? I just told you what you wanted to hear to get you to agree to helping me, and sacrificing your own soul. It's too late you treacherous snake, your fate is sealed, enjoy whatever hell the Grail sends you to." Kumiho revealed to him with a fox like grin while Reaper's features hardened at the revelation of her trickery. "I sacrifice the soul of the being who holds the Grail in place of myself to make my wish." Kumiho declared to the grail as it lit up in golden light which quickly spread to cover the entirety of Reaper's body. Kumiho took a deep breath in, hesitant to speak her next words but knowing the more she stalled, the more danger the rangers would be in. "I Wish…"

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's the big 60th chapter out of the way and sorry for cutting it at a cliffhanger, sadly Reaper is technically still alive until she finishes making her wish, but it just makes the anticipation better. So Kroni is proving impossible to defeat with his regeneration and taking out two Megazords easily and Kumiho has only two possible choices, and one of them doesn't guarantee that Kroni will be defeated. But you'll see what she decides very soon. The Temple being completely exposed wasn't planned but it seemed like a good idea to do at the time, at least it could make it easy for avid ancient researchers and professors to access it in the inevitable future expeditions to it now it's in plain sight.**

 **So The last part of the final battle will be coming either tomorrow or the day after then there's a few more chapters to tie some things up among other things, some I'm keeping completely secret till they're up because they're a surprise. That's all for now though so thanks for reading and here's to the last part of the final battle.**

 **Next Chapter: Virtuous Wish: Part 1**

 **Synopsis: With Kroni increasing in power by the second and moments away from absorbing the rangers into his Primordial essence, their fate now lies in the hands of Kumiho and the wish she will make. In what could be their final moments, will the conflicted Divine let them be absorbed by Kroni or will she give up her wish so that the rangers may defeat the manifestation of evil once and for all? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	62. Chapter 61: Virtuous Wish Part 1

Ch61: Virtuous Wish: Part 1

"I Wish for the rangers battling the Primordial Entity Kroni to receive the power needed to defeat him." Kumiho finalised her wish as Reaper screamed out as his body and soul were absorbed into the Grail.

"You've not heard the last of me, you'll rue the day you did this to me!" He called out in his last moments as the Grail claimed his life.

"Unlikely, few forces can escape death and you're not one of them." Kumiho added once Reaper's essence had been absorbed completely.

With a relieved sigh that her work was done and the rangers now had a fighting chance, the Trickster Goddess turned to the remaining members of the expedition who wore thankful looks.

"Kumiho, thanks. It was noble of you to give up your dreams like that, we're sorry you can't return home." Doctor Blake consoled, to his surprise, the Divine shook her head.

"It's alright, the rangers have done more for me than I expected, with the way I treated them before I thought they'd never help me. I'm glad I was wrong because they helped me more than they know, helped me to rely on others again. For that I'm forever in their debt. We should leave the Temple for now and observe their fight, it would be a shame to miss out on seeing a legendary battle before our eyes after all." She replied calmly as she lead them out of the Grail Chamber.

Welkin and Jamie each supported one of the injured rangers, while Merlin's magic had worked well on their injuries, it would take time for them to fully heal. Harry gave a relieved sigh as he looked over to his teammate walking beside him.

"I'm glad she did the right thing, even if it cost her a lot more. You think there's any way we can get her back home? I feel sorry for her giving up the one thing she's been working toward just to save all of us."

"I don't know, that thing kills people to make wishes, right? So maybe it's not a good idea to use it again. Maybe we should ask everyone else when their done kicking the crap outta Kroni." Vala suggested.

Harry gave a nod. "Yeah, who knows, they might have an extra soul on hand or something." Harry Joked as the group continued on through the Temple and toward the sight of the final battle, and what would hopefully be the end of the Primordial evil they had been fighting.

 **[Desert Battlefield]**

At the moment Kumiho made her wish, as the malevolent Entity enshrouded the seven injured rangers and as he was about to dig into the mortal meal before him, Kroni's fiery eyes widened as he felt a burning sensation upon his fiery form. Kroni quickly recoiled and shrieked out in pain as seven beams of Divine energy burst out from where the rangers were about to be absorbed. The golden beams completely eradicated parts of Kroni's fiery form

Once the beams died down, Kroni looked in surprise at the forms stood before him. While it was unmistakably the rangers, golden plate armour covered their chests, shoulders, arms and legs. While intricate carvings of the strange scripture ran along the entirety of the plate armour, an emblem of the Holy grail was carved into the chest plate. Within that sat a small gemstone corresponding with each ranger's colour. From their plate pauldrons hung vibrant golden capes each emblazoned with the same Grail design on found on their chest plates. Around both their weapons and their bodies radiated the same Divine energy that had freed them from Kroni's clutches. While Kroni recovered the rangers got their bearings and saw their new armour, looking at it with awe.

"We're alive!" Ben cheered, relieved that Kroni hadn't managed to score victory over them.

"And we have some sweet new armour, and whatever this gold stuff around us is." Lexa added.

"This is what we were waiting for, I knew someone would pull through for us eventually, is everyone ready to finally put an end to Kroni?" Aaron asked as Artemis gave a nod.

"Right now I'm feeling so powerful that Kroni doesn't stand a chance against my magic, I think whatever gave us this armour also gave me more mana, so let's get to it!" The younger ranger cheered.

"Alright everyone, time to give this Legend it's proper end." Aaron added as he raised his sword and the seven burst forward with unnatural speed, almost instantly clashing with Kroni.

"This power, you've used the Grail against me! I'll devour you all, regardless of how much power you wield!" Kroni declared as he struck out at Percy with two of his six arms.

"Not gonna happen Kroni, how about you taste the power of the sea instead!" Percy exclaimed as he called up an unforgiving wave of water from his trident and forcing it toward Kroni, clashing against the Primordial foe and knocking him to the ground.

Taking his chance, Percy rushed forward and struck just as Kroni rose, piercing through one of the six limbs and severing it swiftly with his Divine powered trident. Kroni screamed as his limb was severed, wounded by the searing energy radiating from the weapon. As Kroni tried to absorb more of the matter at his feet to regenerate his lost limb, the Entity's fiery eyes widened once again.

"What have you done!? My arm won't regenerate! You'll suffer greatly for this you insignificant mortal." Kroni threatened as he charged at Percy, blind with rage.

"Huh, looks like we can wound him now." Percy deducted as he ran from the Entity, toward the white ranger. "Coming your way Emlie, next one's on you."

As Percy leapt out of the way of a swing of one of Kroni's arms, Emlie unleashed a dazzling sphere of light which blinded everyone in the area other than he. While the other rangers closed their eyes and shielded themselves and Kroni looked around aimlessly, Emlie leapt up into the air, thrusting with her Grail powered spear as she descended and severing yet another arm as the light died.

Emlie placed her spear atop her shoulders and nodded to Lexa, prompting her to prepare to fire. "Alright Kroni, come get me. Things aren't looking good for you now, seeing as you've only got four arms." Emlie taunted as she distracted Kroni.

From where she stood, drawing her bow back as far as she could, Lexa then pointed it to the sky. "Alright Emlie, let's pummel this guy!" Lexa called out to her friend as the latter kicked Kroni away.

Taking hold of her spear with one hand, Emlie threw it like a javelin into the sky as Lexa let loose her arrow which was now formed of Divine energy. "Let's see how Koni likes the taste of an arrow storm!" Emlie called out confidently as the two projectiles met.

While the spear safely fell into Emlie's hand, the Divine energy arrow multiplied into hundreds just like it as they descended onto an unsuspecting Kroni. As the Primordial Entity shielded himself with one of his remaining arms, he gasped as the projectiles pierced the rest of his unprotected body, leaving holes in much of his form that he couldn't regenerate. The arm he used to shield himself with was shredded, unusable and as the last arrow struck, it pierced through the last few fiery threads holding it together, severing it and weakening the foe further.

As the battle raged on, Kumiho and the remaining members of the group emerged from the entrance of the Temple. They quickly caught sight of the rangers fighting nearby and while several looked at them with awe, Merlin raised his brow intrigued by the sight before him.

"That armour. I've seen it before. You all recall how I said the Knights I ventured with found the Grail but we returned because of it's danger. One of those Knights used the Grail and though he died, he wished for the Grail to bestow its ultimate power. The armour they wear is the very same as what was bestowed. Though it was brief, I'd recognise it anywhere. We took to calling it the Grail Knight armour because of its similarity to a Knight's armour. It seems fortune smiles upon the rangers for the Grail to give them it's most powerful secret to defeat Kroni." The old wizard explained to them as the wounded Kroni clashed a few more times with the rangers.

"Then I'm glad that my wish wasn't made in vain. Now Go Power Rangers, defeat Kroni and save us all." Kumiho muttered as she gave a small and content smile now that she knew she had made the right decision.

Kroni growled as he charged at the black ranger, lunging with his claws as scratching at the Grail Knight armour. Though he was powerful, the armour was far too strong for him to tear through. Ben responded by striking Kroni's head and following it up with a thrusting kick into his stomach knocking him back.

"Watch what you're doing, you'll get scratches on my shiny new armour if you aren't careful." Ben said as he charged at the dazed Kroni.

Bearing his axe down upon the third remaining arm, Kroni shrieked out again as the Legendary axe, empowered with Divine energy cut effortlessly through the arm. Kroni stumbled as he lost further energy, he was heavily wounded and unable to regenerate, the rangers had come back from the brink of death at his hands and turned the tables on him. Now he was looking death in the eye but he refused to go quietly.

"You insolent mortals! How can creatures like you, with barely a shred of power between the lot of you manage to do so much damage to me!?" Kroni screamed out as Tyson flung the Divine powered hammer, striking the wounded Entity in the back of the head before returning to him.

"You haven't figured that out yet? It's because you're wanting to eat everything you can, we're all used to dealing with that on a daily basis, after all we have Lexa and she's tougher to handle than you." Tyson joked as he sprinted toward Kroni. "But in all seriousness, it's because we're fighting to protect things. We have something to lose so that's why we'll all fight harder than you every time." Tyson finished as he brought his hammer around and struck it into one of the last remaining arms.

With the sheer force of the blow, Tyson tore one of Kroni's last two arms clean off causing the foe to scream out again at the pain the Divine energy was inflicting with each blow he had taken thus far.

"You'll all suffer my wrath soon enough pitiful humans. All this talk of protection, you're all fools and you'll die like the fools you are!" Kroni proclaimed through the pain as Aaron swiftly charged in with Excalibur.

Igniting the blade, the weapon lit up with brilliant golden flames. The wounded Kroni was staggering, struggling to keep himself standing as his now weak fiery gaze met with the Templar ranger's. Without a second thought, Aaron cut swiftly through Kroni's last arm, severing his last offensive weapon and rendering his attempts to defeat the rangers futile.

"No, you're the fool Kroni. It doesn't matter if you'd have defeated us, or how much of the world you'd have devoured. There'll always be someone to fight you, because no matter what people are fighting for, they'll never give up fighting." Aaron told him as he and his team regrouped, Artemis in the centre of the line.

"Thanks for keeping him occupied for a while, even with all this power it still takes up a while to build up the kind of magic it's gonna take to finish Kroni off. Everyone ready?" Artemis asked.

Holding her staff out, the Dryad ranger started to channel magical energy into her Divine powered staff as one by one, the other rangers held their Legendary weapons to hers as the golden aura's around both the weapons and the rangers began to intensify, creating a blinding golden light from what those around the rangers could see.

Kroni panicked as he tried to move away, unfortunately his legs had completely seized up and held him in place. "To be beaten by such lowly creatures… W-What are you?" Kroni asked, stuttering as fear gripped the Primordial Entity.

"We're Power Rangers." Aaron put simply as Artemis gave a confirming nod that their final attack was ready to be unleashed upon Kroni.

"Unity!" The Seven called as a large golden burst of powerful magic and Divine energy fired forward, colliding with Kroni as he cried out in pain as the magical burst tore his physical form to shreds, completely obliterating the Primordial evil.

From where the others stood, they could only look in awe at the brilliant burst of energy that blinded the entire area for several seconds. As the dying screams of the ancient evil faded, so did the energy blast that ended him. As they lowered their weapons, the Divine auras around the seven victorious rangers and their Legendary weapons faded. They quickly became surprised as the Grail Knight armour that had been protecting them from the corrupting essence of their defeated enemy burst apart into small spheres of golden energy before diffusing into the air and completely disappearing.

Each of the rangers gave a tired but relieved sigh as they demorphed and sat down on the desert sands to catch their breaths. Falling onto her back, the pink ranger looked up to the bright blue sky. "Wooooh! We did it!" She cheered ecstatically as the others let out laughs of their own, celebrating their victory by having a few moments of relaxation.

"It was a tough fight, but we managed it." Aaron said as he looked over to the unearthed Grail Temple and the figures of their friends and allies stood at the entrance looking down at them. "Come on everyone, we should get back to the others. There's one last thing we need to take care of here before we can really celebrate."

"What's that?" Percy asked as he and the others rose from the sands and followed their leader toward the Temple.

"We have a promise to keep."

 **|Mythos|**

 **And that's chapter 61 over and the final battle is at an end, Kroni got what was coming at him and the rangers got their last big power up, though it was only temporary and I do like to think of it as a sort of team battlizer given how compared to even previous battlizers, there's far more power here. So now that the threat's over, there's only two real chapters left, then there's gonna be an epilogue and a little something extra. This chapter was a little shorter than usual too, but I didn't want to extend the battle just for word count so I hope it's enough. The last two chapters might not be so long either but we'll see. As a last note, can you guess what they're going to do to bring about that last goal they've been working toward? There's a couple of hints in here but that's all from me and thanks for reading. While there's gonna be no action now there's still quite a bit of plot concerning the series' connected to this so I hope you enjoy what's to come and until then!**

 **Next Chapter: Virtuous Wish: Part 2**

 **Synopsis: With the Primordial Entity Kroni now defeated and the rangers victorious thanks to the efforts of Kumiho, the world is saved once again. Though it came at a cost, Kumiho can no longer make her wish to change history and unseal the gateways between worlds. Will one act of kindness be enough to change this? What repercussions will come from the ranger's actions? Find out next time on Power Rangers: Mythos.**


	63. Chapter 62: Virtuous Wish Part 2

Ch62: Virtuous Wish: Part 2

From the outlook at the entrance of the Grail Temple, most of the group that had been watching the rangers final victory gave relieved expressions while both Harry and Vala cheered for their friends as they made their way up a set of stone steps that led up to the entrance, only revealed now that the ancient structure had been unearthed.

It only took a minute at most for the larger group to reassemble, which once they were, the rangers were congratulated for accomplishing the monumental task of defeating a Primordial Entity.

Harry and Vala looked toward Tyson and Ben as the latter two held out the morphers and amulets they had been loaned for the fight. "Here you two, thanks for letting us borrow them." Tyson spoke.

"You're giving them back to us? I thought you'd might want to keep them after fighting like that." Harry presumed as Tyson and Ben shook their heads and gave out small laughs.

"I don't think morphing into a ranger's ever gonna get old." Ben started. "But we're passing our morphers and amulets to you guys for good. We can't be around to help most of the time but you can. That doesn't mean we won't help out when we can though." Ben explained to them as Harry and Vala took the devices and amulets from the two other teens.

"Thanks guys, we'll do our best." Vala said to them as nearby, Merlin cleared his throat.

"Everyone, I want to congratulate you all once again for defeating Kroni, with his evil influence gone our world has been made much safer. Unfortunately there are many evils and injustices still out there. Many could use the Holy Grail if they were to get their hands on it to put an end to our world. So I ask that we enter that place one last time to retrieve it before we leave for our home." Merlin requested.

Aaron quickly stepped forward as the wizard finished speaking. "That sounds like a good idea, who knows what else the Grail could do if it was used by someone else, which is more likely now the Temple's been unearthed. But before we take it away, there's one last thing we need to do. First of all, We need to head back to the Grail chamber." Aaron began to explain his plan to them as he lead the group back toward the heart of the ancient Temple.

 **[Grail Temple - Grail Chamber]**

Quickly making their way into the chamber housing the Grail with the rest of the group, Kumiho raised an eyebrow toward the Templar ranger as he stood opposite her by the ancient artifact.

"What are you planning to do? We've used up everything we can without someone dying, don't tell me you're planning something so reckless." Kumiho asked, the Templar ranger promptly shaking his head.

"We haven't used everything yet." Aaron started as he drew the soul gem housing what was left of Redcloak's soul and showed it to the Divine. "You gave up the chance to make your wish when you decided to help us. We need to repay you with the same kindness."

Kumiho eyed the resonating stone in his hand and quickly shook her head. "No, I can't. That's all I have left of him, the one person who's been at my side and never leaving it for centuries. When his body died recently, I didn't even get to say goodbye, if I were to give him up, I'd never be able to tell him again…" Kumiho elaborated as she lowered her head.

From where he stood, Merlin looked at the stone for a moment before walking toward Aaron and holding his hand out. "May I?" He requested before Aaron placed the stone into the wizard's hand. Merlin quickly turned toward Kumiho and opened his mouth again. "If that's all that's holding you back, then I can help. Quite a while ago when making contact with the dead was quite the craze around the world, I learned a few spells involving manifesting nearby spirits into a visible form. I believe with a few tweaks to the spell's words, I can manifest his spirit from the stone so that you may take the time to speak with Redcloak one last time." Merlin offered as the Divine raised her head.

"Yes, thank you, I would like to see him again." Kumiho said as she and the rest of the group stood back as Merlin held the stone out and began whispering in an ancient tongue.

The energy within the stone appeared to intensify for a few moments as it burst out and projected the spectral form of Redcloak. As it looked around and soon recognised Kumiho, the trickster Goddess' face brightened as she gave the spirit a wide smile.

"Lady Kumiho, it is a blessing to see you again. What has happened to me though, I don't seem to have a physical form this time." Redcloak asked as Kumiho walked closer to her spectral servant.

"A powerful wizard had manifested your spirit from the soul gem so that we could talk. I finally made it to the Grail but I have no soul to offer it so we can't go to my home." She explained the situation as Redcloak placed his ghostly hand upon her cheek.

"My Lady, don't you remember my promise? I pledged to you back when we first met that I would do everything in my power to see you home, even if that meant sacrificing myself to accomplish that. So please, use my soul, give it to the Grail so that you can finally find peace." Redcloak offered her as a tear slid down her cheek, much to the surprise of the others around her.

"But what good is that without you? You're the one person who's always stayed by my side, the one person I could always trust. I can't let you go, I can't let you leave me too." She sniffed as the spectral Redcloak wiped the tear away.

"It's okay my Lady, I might not be able to be by your side any more, but know that as your servant I will alway love you and that love will always stay by your side. It's alright, you've found others to trust and help you now, please let me go, let me do this last thing for you my Lady." Redcloak tried to persuade his upset mistress.

"Alright." She finally agreed with a nod. "You were the best servant I could ever ask for and I'll never forget you. Thank you for everything you've done for me, you'll never be forgotten. Goodbye Redcloak." She finally spoke as she saw a faint smile under the cloth mask of her ghostly servant.

"Goodbye Lady Kumiho, I hope the future is bright for you." Redcloak finished as his form dissipated and Merlin stepped forward with the soul gem in his hand.

"It's time, are you ready to make your final wish?" He asked as Kumiho took the soul gem and gave a nod.

"Thank you for that. I'm ready but there is one last thing I must tell you all about this wish. Though I intend to undo the sealing of the gates between worlds altogether, every event that lead up to this wish will remain the same. Everything you've been though will have still happened. But those outside this Temple, they won't remember any of it. From the day you all became rangers to the events today, all of it will be erased from the minds of the rest of the world and replaced with lies. This is the price of world magic, a powerful magic which alters the very events of our reality, it keeps the events leading up to its use obscured to create the illusion that the world was always like this, hiding its existence. There's no other way to do this, so before I make the wish, I'll ask you all. Do you want to live in a world where no one knows of your past exploits, without recognition or reward for the great risk you've put yourselves at? Will you accept the consequences of what the world magic brings about and the lives it will drastically alter as a result? The choice is yours rangers.

Each of them nodded in silent agreement before Aaron opted to speak for them. "Don't worry, we're going to see this through to the end. It doesn't matter if nobody knows else what we've done, we saved the world and we'll all be able to remember it, that's enough for us. You said there were going to be consequences for changing the world like this right? We'll accept full responsibility for that too and we'll be there to fix whatever bad this world magic brings, that'll be our mission now."

Kumiho nodded and gave a grateful smile. "Thank you, I'm grateful for what you're giving up, I'll share some of the blame then too and help you when I can." She added as she made her way toward the Holy Grail.

Halting before the pedestal, Kumiho placed the soul gem within the cup of the powerful artifact and placed her hand around the handle. "I sacrifice the soul within this soul gem in place of myself to make my wish." Kumiho began as the Grail lit up once more with golden light which quickly extended to the soul gem inside it as the Divine continued. "I wish to undo the sealing of the gates between all worlds and drastically alter our reality forever." She wished as the Grail in her hand began to radiate more light intensely as the Temple and the ground around them began to shake and knock the group off balance.

As the tremors under their feet grew into more violent quakes, a burst of energy shot out from the Grail, hitting everyone in the chamber as a bright burst of light erupted from the grail blinding everyone for several seconds.

Once it died down and they could see again, everyone found themselves on the ground. Slowly rising with groans, they looked around to see that everything was intact despite the powerful display of energy from the Grail.

"Ow, my head it feels like I've been hit in it with a hammer." Artemis groaned.

Beside her, Percy rubbed his own head. "If you know what getting hit with a hammer feels like, that'd explain why you're such an airhead all of the time."

"So that's world magic. I never thought I'd see it, quite a powerful force indeed." Merlin noted.

"Then we've done it, the Realms are connected once more and I can finally go home. Come, there's a chamber with several portals. I'm certain one of them leads directly to the Farlands." Kumiho told them as she lead the recovering group to the portal room.

As she did so, Welkin, who had been stood silently for a while walked over to where the Grail sat and picked it up before he began to examine it. "Hmm… Wonder how much I could get if I sell this." Welkin wondered as he studied it further.

As he did so, he became surprised as the priceless artifact was swiped from his hands. Looking behind him, he saw the pink ranger walking off with the Grail in her hands. "Not gonna happen Stross!" She called back as the pilot shrugged.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He muttered under his breath as he followed on behind the others.

 **[Grail Temple - Portal Chamber]**

As the group emerged into the chamber housing the four arches which were in fact portals to the other Realms which had now been unsealed, they were surprised to find that the gateways had remained inactive.

As Kumiho and Merlin inspected the ancient portal, wiping away more dust that lay on the pedestal, the two found more words written in the script of the former's homeland. Reading it over, Kumiho gave an understanding nod.

"I see, it seems as these portals only remain open for a short time and can only be activated by someone native to that Realm. Before I leave, I want to thank you all for everything. Without your help and without your kindness, I would have never been able to achieve any of this. This isn't goodbye, now that I'm leaving your world, I'm starting to miss it a little. I'll be returning often so if you ever need me, I'll be there for you just like I said, whatever new events have arisen as a result of our actions here are our responsibility to deal with. So until next we meet rangers, it has been a pleasure." She bid them all farewell for the time being as she exchanged waves with them before turning around and placing her hand on the stone pedestal and transferring some of her energy into it.

As she did so, the archway lit up with swirling energy, creating a portal before them. "Here I go, home…" Kumiho muttered as she took a few steps forward and entered into the portal, her form completely disappearing in an instant before the gateway to the Farlands closed and left the remaining members of the group to return to their own home now that their adventure had finally come to an end.

 **[The Farlands - Portal Grove]**

Emerging on the other side of the portal, Kumiho found that she had came from an archway just like the one in the Temple, meaning she could return there when she chose to. Looking around the area, the Fox Goddess looked around to find a small rocky stream encircling a grassy circle which the portal had been built upon. A narrow woodland path extended through the many trees of the forest that encircled the grove. As Kumiho took in the sight of her homeland she took in a deep breath of the air and exhaled with satisfaction.

"I'm really back."

 **|Mythos|**

 **That's it for chapter 62 and there was a bit of tragedy a bit of comedy and a bit of world changing magic to top it all off. To elaborate what this means for the fics this is connected to, this doesn't affect them in any way, it more just means that they exist properly now whereas they couldn't prior to the world magic doing its thing. That said, Kumiho finally returned home but she hasn't completely left the rangers since she'll be going back and forth between the Realms and helping out the rangers in dealing with the future consequences of their actions, though you'll probably only be seeing that in other fics.**

 **Alright, that's a wrap for the main plot of this story too, there's one last chapter just to tie up loose ends and say a proper farewell to the rangers coming up along with an epilogue and something else. I'm gonna release that all at once so expect that in a couple of days time, until then, thanks for reading!**

 **Next Chapter: A Lengthy Farewell**

 **Synopsis: As the rangers and their friends depart and say their goodbyes, they begin to see the results of their actions on the world and how it has affected their lives in Castelan upon their return. How will this all end? Find out for the last time on Power Rangers Mythos.**


	64. Chapter 63: A Lengthy Farewell

Ch63: A Lengthy Farewell

An hour had passed since the rangers and their allies had said farewell to Kumiho, in that time Doctor Blake and Jamie had taken several photos of the stranger scripture and architecture within the Temple.

They all now stood by the wing straffer as the sun began to set over the desert horizon. Opposite almost all of the group stood Merlin, still wearing a proud look when looking at the rangers, pleased with what they had managed to accomplish in the past day.

"You've come a long way since you first began your fight rangers. But that has come to an end now. I won't be returning with you all, there's somewhere I must visit first. I'll return to Castelan in a few days time but now the Realms are connected again, there's something I need to do. Until next we meet rangers."

"Take care of yourself Merlin." Doctor Blake began as the rangers embarked into the Straffer Zord, followed by the rest of your allies. "Be careful out there, we don't know what's waiting for us now the world's different."

"Don't worry, you don't get to be my age without being careful. The world is indeed a different and much more dangerous place now but I feel as if their quest is at its end. Call it an old wizard's intuition but either way, they deserve a rest after everything they've been through. Call them all to the Command Center when I return, there's one last thing I need to give them all."

 **[Wing Straffer]**

Once everyone had come on board the Zord and Welkin had took it into the air, the pilot stepped away from the controls, leaving it on auto-pilot while he watched the small celebrations going on between the rangers. As Lexa stepped away from the Grail she had been guarding to go to the Straffer Zord's built in bathroom, a twinkle came into Welkin's eye.

Moving over casually to the Grail, Welkin discreetly pulled a phone from his pocket and dialled in a number while picking up the powerful artifact. As the recipient of his call picked up Welkin smirked. "Hey, K, it's been a while. Listen I've got something you might be interested on my plane, it might take some work getting it to you but- Hey!" Welkin called out as he realised that the Holy Grail had been snatched from his hands once again.

Looking around he found Lexa with an unimpressed expression on her face. "Seriously? You jump at any chance you get to make money don't you?" Lexa groaned as Welkin gave a shrug while grinning. "As for everyone else, you guys should be keeping an eye on him too. Who in their right mind would let Welkin of all people have something that could change the world?"

"That's kinda funny considering you abuse your power too. Maybe we should keep it safe from the both of you." Tyson joked as Lexa threatened to hit the former yellow ranger around the back of the head with the relic.

"Now that you mention it, I could use it to help my game when it comes to women, not that I need it." Welkin thought out loud with a chuckle as he scratched his chin.

As Lexa bickered some more, Aaron walked over and took the Grail out of Lexa's hands and away from both of them. "The way you're acting, I'm not trusting either of you with it." He said as he moved to where Artemis was standing and passed the artifact to her.

"What? You trust Artemis more than me to hold onto the Grail?" Lexa asked, sounding hurt over his lack of trust in her.

"Actually it's more because I know Missy wouldn't know what to do with the Grail. Given how she already has magic powers and she could wish for anything under the sun, I doubt she could come up with a wish to make any time soon." Aaron added, hoping that she wouldn't catch onto the fact he had poked fun at her a little with his reasoning. Fortunately for the ranger, Artemis was sat humming to herself as she held the Grail, paying little attention to what was going on around her.

"So,anybody ready for some in flight radio, courtesy of yours truly?" Welkin asked as worried looks spread to the faces of much of his passengers as old music began playing through the speakers.

"You're listening to the Adventures of Welkin Stross!" An announcer blared through the speakers as several of the rangers groaned.

"I think I know what I'd use a wish from the Grail for right now." Lexa grumbled to herself as she sat down with her arms folded.

 **[Sacred Springs High]**

Since landing in Castelan once more and saying goodbye to Tyson and Ben before Welkin flew them back home, the short school break in which they had quested for the Grail had ended and it was the beginning of yet another semester. Though the autumn air now turned cold as winter neared, it was still rather sunny that day.

Lunch had come around and Harry Starke sat at his computer typing up an article and letting out a bored sigh. Though he was happy the threats they had faced were gone for good, the days seemed much longer without the everyday battles against evil he had taken part in since near the beginning of the school year. As he finished the last sentence of the article, he heard the door creak open.

Turning his head, Harry saw his friend Julie enter with her camera in hand. "Hey Julie, you dropping off some more pictures for the newspaper again?"

She gave a polite smile before nodding. "Yeah, I'm having to cover for a few of the others, some of them got sick earlier in the week. It's a good job these are the last ones, I've been running around that much I couldn't handle any more. Is it this exhausting being a real photographer?"

"You're trying to be a real one I'm guessing? I'm an aspiring journalist so I know how much work it is, maybe if we get jobs at the same paper we can help each other out with our worked." Harry said with a small laugh to cheer her up.

Julie returned a small laugh as she slumped into a chair beside him. "That'd be pretty nice, so I guess I'm you're Jimmy and you're my Clarke."

"I'm surprised you're into superheroes, but I'm not sure that I'm a fan of that pairing." Harry joked around as he gave a shrug. "It'd be nice being a superhero though." Harry mentioned, lying about the fact he was in fact one.

"That'd be cool, I bet you'd be a great Power Ranger, those guys are everywhere but we've never seen any around here sadly." Julie replied as Harry resisted the urge to laugh about how right she was.

"Hey Julie, this might sound a little out there but do you wanna go out sometime? I think I've had feelings for you since middle school but I've had a lot of things on my mind so I couldn't really think of a good time to ask, I guess now's a good time though." He asked her abruptly.

The blonde teen took a few seconds to process what he had said before opening her mouth. "Sure, you're my friend anyway right, even if it doesn't go so well we've still got that so why not?" She agreed as a smile came across Harry's face now that he knew had a chance with her. "Who knows, if it goes well we might end up being more like Lois and Clarke." Julie joked as Harry let out another laugh.

"Now that's a pairing I can get behind."

 **[Command Center]**

Later that day, the seven rangers had been gathered outside of the building they had called their headquarters for a while. Peering into the windows, they could see that numerous cardboard boxes were lying around, some full, some half full with much of the equipment within their base having been packed into these boxes. Making the rangers wonder, just what was going on.

Ethan Blake and Jamie both stood outside the doors at Merlin's side as they looked at the rangers. "Alright everyone, guess you're all wondering what's going on and why we're all out here." Ethan addressed the seven. "Now that Kroni and Shadai are both gone and we haven't heard of any new threat, it's safe to say our job here's done. On top of that, you all remember the book published before the start of our adventure?" He asked, getting shrugs from them. "It's the one that just so happened to ruin any chance of me advancing my career. Either way, looks like the world magic erased that too, I've been getting calls these past few days from a few people about the Grail Temple from a lot of people in different History and Archaeology fields, there's apparently a huge research team being assembled to try and decipher this thing, so I'll be leaving Castelan." He explained to them as he gestured to Jamie.

"I'll still be here though, taking care of the Grail and keeping safe your Legendary Weapons and whatever else you want me to take care of. Lord Du Lac told me that the Museum here in Castelan is part of a privately funded group of Museums across the country owned by him and that it's more secure than here so I'm having all the equipment and artifacts we've got stored here moved into the basement there." Jamie explained to them.

"That's my Dad for you, I think it's because he's so into our family lineage and such that he's so adamant about protecting History and these Legendary objects we've found. Our job won't be over though, given how we've already found these, more could be out there. Then there's the consequences to our actions we'll have to deal with too. Like it or not, our jobs are far from over." Aaron added as Merlin nodded agreeing with the Templar ranger.

"That's right, but we'll discuss more on that later, could you please follow me back to the old training area. I have a gift for you all, think of it as a reward for your efforts and everything you gave up back in the Temple to see Kumiho home." Merlin told them as he lead them to the old practice yard around the back of the Command Center.

The seven rangers eyes widened at the sight before them as Merlin gave a smile and motioned his hand toward six winged creatures before them. "These rangers are for you. Seven Gryphons to be your magical steeds. It took me quite some time to find them but hopefully they'll serve as reliable transport in the future. While you might not need to use them much, they're one last gift to you before I leave too. Sadly now that the Realms are reconnected, the need for a powerful wizard such as me is much greater. I can stay for a short while but I'll need to leave soon." He informed them as the rangers thanked the wise wizard for his parting gift before examining the magical creatures he had given them.

The Gryphons themselves appeared exactly as they had been interpreted by people in ancient and modern interpretations and were far to distinct to be mistaken for any other creature of a similar appearance. Lexa and Artemis quickly stroked the feathers of their Gryphons and smiled brightly as they hugged their magical creatures tightly.

"It's so soft and fluffy!" Artemis laughed.

"This is the softest thing I've ever hugged!" Lexa exclaimed in a cheery manner as they buried their faces into the Gryphons' feathers.

"Guess the girls have really taken a liking to their Gryphons." Percy commented as Aaron gave a shrug.

"What can you expect? They love their fluffy animals, good job it's just them." Aaron stated.

"Uh sorry bud, but your girlfriend's doing it too." Percy pointed as Aaron turned around to see Emlie squeezing the Gryphon and rubbing her face against its soft fur.

Aaron gave a sigh as he looked to the blue ranger "Well Percy, I think we just lost our girlfriends to a couple of Gryphons."

"Before today I didn't even know that was possible. They'll calm down eventually, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

 **[Sacred Spring High - Water Fountain]**

A day after saying goodbye to both Merlin and Ethan as they embarked on their own journeys, the rangers all sat outside on the water fountain in front of their school at lunch, a tripod with a camera was set up with Julie preparing to take a photo.

At the leftmost side sat Artemis, beside her was Aaron who sat with an arm around Emlie's shoulders. Harry sat in the middle giving a wide smile. Next to him, Percy was sitting while Lexa had opted to sit on the blue ranger's lap while she munched away at a pastry. Behind Harry, Vala stood over the black ranger with her arms raised in the air and a goofy expression on her face.

While their time at school was far from over, the seven newly minted Veteran Rangers' journey had reached its end. Though the school year wasn't over, they wanted to commemorate the occasion and had gathered for a photo.

"Okay everyone, whenever you're ready." Julie said as she got in position to take a photo.

"Alright, this has been a long adventure everybody and not all of it was good. So from this day on let's try and keep this promise, let's only have good memories with each other from now on. You guys remember the line?" Aaron asked them as they all gave a nod as Julie began to take the photo.

"Mythos!"

 **|The End|**

 **And that's an end to the story, wow this has been a long ride and it's finally over, I wanted to fill this last chapter with a few laughs and nice moments given how it is a little saddening to see it end (and no I'm not crying, you are) but that aside that won't be that last you'll hear from the Mythos rangers. I've got two more things coming up alongside this so I'll keep this brief and till I can say more, I hope you enjoyed.**


	65. Chapter 64: A New Myth

Ch64: Epilogue - A New Myth

Dear Dr. Ethan Blake,

Hope this letter finds you, I heard you and the rest of the dig team at the Grail Temple have been working hard at it for a while now. It's been ten months already, good news is, there's been no more monster attacks. Everything here's running smoothly thanks to Lord Du Lac. Most of the Rangers have headed off to College now but Artemis and Harry are still helping me out while they're still around.

I get the regular call from Ben now and then but he doesn't tell me much, he told me about how he's gone into being an engineering major at his college. Between fights he'd always help out a little while I was making gadgets so I think it's a good fit, he's a bit hesitant when he asks for help from me but I'd say he could go places.

Tyson's a bit more talkative with me though, I think having nobody to fight drives him stir crazy. Even though he gave his morpher to Vala, I think he just wants to get out there and crack some skulls again. Unsurprisingly he graduated and went to college with a sports scholarship, what caught me off guard was the fact he's decided to Teacher, a PE Teacher anyway and used his scholarship to minor in Teaching too. I'm kinda worried for the kids he's in charge of, especially if he works them half as hard as he worked himself. It can't be that bad though, right?

Vala on the other hand didn't go to College. After her last year she and her parents returned to Germany. I'm not really in contact with her as much now but from what Welkin's told me she's helping her Dad run a bar in a small town and keeping out of trouble for the most part, guess it's better than doing what her cousin does for a living.

Harry seems to be doing well. He's been dating a girl since around the time they beat Kroni and they're both doing pretty well in school. He's still got a couple more years but he looks set to be a journalist. I think he could do well at a major newspaper firm one day, the shots he gets for his articles are superb too, maybe I could ask his photographer to come do some vanity shots for you when you make a breakthrough with the Temple.

I've seen Percy coming back and forth between Castelan and the coast in the past few months. Turns out he's decided to start working toward taking over his old man's business. From what I can tell, they've both been diving from young ages and it just seems to be Percy's calling, they're some kind of freelance divers, usually working for think tanks or scientists that pay them to search the sea for some evidence of whatever they're looking to prove. I think Percy just likes to dive though, at least the pay is good.

I think the person that's surprised me the most since leaving Castelan is Lexa, she's headed a little down south to this prestigious arts and dance school, taking up the latter. From what Percy's told me, she's an ideal student. I know, I couldn't believe it myself when he told me either. He also said she had several part time jobs at restaurants but she never seemed to hold them for very long after the customers kept complaining about food shortages.

As for Emlie, she's been studying on the other side of the country, some town in Oregon I forget the name of, she decided she wanted to go into Psychology and try and help people through therapy. From what I've heard, her and Aaron's relationship is still strong but I'll put that down to how quickly the Gryphon's can take them from one place to another, their speed is surprisingly quick. There is one bump in their relationship though, that's when Emlie tries using some of the things she's learned on him to mess around, he really doesn't like getting his head messed with.

Speaking of Aaron, he's still pretty close by himself. He headed to Novaton University from school and he's studying Ancient History. He frequents the Museum to come talk with me on weekends too and see if we've got any artifacts that need recovering. He told me that he intends to take over the Museum here in town when he's finished his degree and take command of operations as a whole. Guess everything that's happened the past couple of years have really put a goal into his head.

Artemis is still a free spirit though, Now and then she does take some tutorship from Merlin when he's available to visit but her magic has steadily improved on its own in these past ten months. She's also taken up singing as part of a small band and usually does it down in the basement, her voice is pretty great, on top of that she's been looking into using magic in her singing, hopefully it won't blow up in our faces. I've also heard that Aaron's started to pestering her to think about looking into Universities herself, it's still a year off until she really does need to but I think he's still a little concerned about her.

Like I mentioned just now, Merlin seems to have little time to stick around but we always have a nice talk when he visits. He's told me about quite a few amazing places and how he's averted about twelve different inter-Realm conflicts in the past three months alone. He's got a big reputation apparently so a lot of different races respect him.

Kumiho's also returned several times just to talk. She's told me about the Farlands and reuniting with her family too. From what she's said and what I can gather the whole thing has some resemblance to Ancient Japan but inhabited by others like her, all minor Divines too, maybe we should enlist their help next time another Kroni shows up. I'm kidding there, let's hope there won't be another Kroni.

Lord Du Lac unsurprisingly didn't know about much when you last spoke with him, but I've caught him up on everything and he seemed to understand well, it even seemed to fill in some blanks for him with some things even we didn't know. He's been a big help so I'm glad we didn't need to keep him in the dark on everything that happened these past two years.

As for me, I'm still manning the fort here under the Museum, I've set up nicely and I've been working with Lord Du Lac to create a private organisation dedicated to finding and protecting all the Legendary artifacts in the world from those that would use them for evil. I've talked with everyone we can count on to help and like I said, Aaron wants to head the organisation once he's finished his studies. I'm guessing he wants to use it to deal with to consequences of the world magic too. Something we're fully behind. We've decided to call it the Legendary Artifacts Recovery and Protection Agency or for short LARPA. While it's going to be a private organisation, I'm pretty sure Lord Du Lac can pull some strings to get to officially recognised at least over here. We don't have any leads on new Artifacts but I'll write you when we do.

Talk to you soon,

Jamie Hurst.

Ethan Blake smirked as he read through the letter his old technician had sent him. The Historian sat in a cosy tent shielded from the desert around him. Though he had still yet to make any breakthroughs in the long arduous task of deciphering the Grail Temple and its hidden purpose.

Putting the letter down, Ethan pulled a book from the table at the side of his seat and opened it to a page he had marked before moving his finger down on a specific paragraph. "I wonder if I should let them know about this. When dark forces descend upon the Castle lands, seven Legendary heroes will stand against the tide of destruction and become a bulwark against terror so that the innocents behind them don't fall victim to to oncoming wave. Though they may never be thanked or even acknowledged for their actions, these heroic individuals will stand proud in knowing their duty is done." He read aloud before closing the book and revealing it's name.

 _The Big Book of Small Myths._

He gave one last smile as he put it aside and the flap of the tent opened as an archeologist entered. "Hey Ethan, we may have figured out some more of the symbols, the boss wants you to come and take one last look, if we're right this could be big."

"Sounds like a plan, who knows what we might find?" He agreed as he rose from his seat to head back into the Grail Temple and continue his work on what could be a revolutionary discovery.

 **|The End, for real this time, I promise|**

 **Okay, now that the epilogue is done and you've all got a glimpse of the ranger's future live ten months later along with the birth of LARPA which will be bigger than just the rangers and their allies and dedicated to protecting Legendary artifacts along with doing a few more things too. Doctor Blake's helping out with the big research expedition at the Grail Temple, but as far as that goes, I don't really have any future plans for that. There's one last chapter where I'm going to say a few words along with a couple of nice surprises so I'll see you in the last one, this time it will be the last last one though.**


	66. Chapter 65: The End

Ch65: The End

 **So the series is finally officially over, and while it's over I can finally take my focus back to all of my other series that have been on hiatus for a while now. The series has taken just over two years to complete and I'm going to apologise now for it taking so long with my inconsistency uploading and such but if you have stuck it out through all of that regardless I just want to say thank you for not losing interest and being patient all the way to the end.**

 **I'll also thank anyone who's ever taken the time to review, favourite or follow this series. I'll admit that back in the beginning everything was rocky and it's improved a lot since then so anyone who liked it even then has my gratitude and hopefully it became something worthy of the praise it's gotten in the end.**

 **I do want to specially thank two people in particular, Sir Perfluous and Decode9. Both of them are good friends with great stories of their own in my opinion so if you haven't checked them out, please do. Artemis Domino was created by Decode9 by request and Harry Starke was created by Sir Perfluous on request too, without them I don't think I could've had the characters made any better, so thanks you two, your support on this has meant a lot throughout all the time I've put into writing this.**

 **From here on, the events of Mythos actually instigate all of the events in Occult Circle, another story of mine which I'll shamelessly recommend anyone who reads to check out, it's a little different from the usual Power Rangers but I personally love every moment of writing it, its uniqueness being one of the things I love. All of this said, I guess I can't really say much more but I'll just say thanks for reading once again, that alone means a lot to me and I hope that people continue to show interest and keep reading my stories in the future.**

 **I'll be taking a short break from writing Power Rangers and from this Saturday until the following Saturday I won't have much time to write if at all since I'll be on Holiday for the week. So that's all and until whatever I write next, I'll see you all later.**


End file.
